Leopards Can't Change Their Spots
by Phoenix Fanatic
Summary: Both Kalasin and Daine learn that leopards can't change their spots when Kalasin she goes to Carthak to marry Kaddar. KK. Now complete.
1. Kalasin's Questions

A/N-Tell me how it is, or else I won't continue.

Disclaimer- I don't own anything you recognize.

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The soon-to-be Empress Kalasin did not want her titles. She had no say in the matter of who she wanted to marry, and this was probably the worst suitor yet.

The Emperor, His Royal Highness Kaddar, prince of Siraj, duke of Yamut, count of Amar, first lord of the Imperium was to be her husband. When he had come to Tortall to court her, she had seen him as loud, rude and obnoxious.

As soon as he went back to his homeland Kalasin had went in search of Daine, since she had visited Carthak and Kaddar only months before. She had said he was kind and thoughtful then. She then visited Numair, hoping to get as many views on Kaddar as possible. He had only said that Kaddar was as empty-headed as a stone.

She asked every single person who had gone on the trip about Kaddar. They all said the same thing as Daine, and when she told them about Numair's thoughts they all said that Numair had never taken a liking to the prince.

Her soft, silk red blouse and breeches rustled with the wind of the ocean as she bent over the railing of the ship. She had been told to dress simple, although she still didn't know why. Her dark hair was pulled back.

She was on one of the finest ships in the king's navy, but yet she still felt uneasy, and the second Carthak came into her line of sight, the thirteen-year-old sighed.

She did not want to be doing this.

But yet she had to.

For her country.

For her people.

But not for herself.

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A/N-I can update with a long chapter, since I know how this is going to end, but only if you **review**. All of my reviews give me a warm fuzzy feeling. :D I like warm fuzzy feelings, so please give them to me. My birthday is coming up, so **please** give me a review as my present!


	2. Lukiem Hashamr

A/N-Kudos to my reviewers-**Dark.Angel.of.Tortal-007**, **Lela-of-Bast**, **Daine's Twin** and **Daine's daughter**. This chapter is dedicated to the four of them. They gave me my warm fuzzy feeling.

Disclaimer- I never have and never will own the characters.

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Kalasin knew that it had been three years since Daine had wrecked havoc among the palace; it looked liked it had been three days.

The entire west wing was being rebuilt. Dust and soot covered both the ground and air. Men were shouting, dogs were barking, and chaos reined. A massive ditch in the ground to her left marked where the Astronomer's tower had been.

She was on the docks, waiting for _something _to happen. They had easy passage, and had arrived a day early. No one had appeared to notice that the soon-to-be Empress was watching the building. Since Tortallan ships frequently went in and out of the harbor to trade silk, no one thought anything unusual of it.

She had been told to bring almost nothing personal to Carthak, since it would either out of style or out of date. And the Empress simply could not have something personal.

She had only two bags, and no servants. That was it.

Tortall was now a distant country, along with its people. Her friends, family and everything she once knew was now her past.

And she was thirteen.

She was to rule a country.

Finally, one of the skippers came up beside her.

"Yeh might wanta tell 'em ur here. Majesty," he said as an afterthought.

"I must thank you for the passage. Send my regards to your captain," she said, voice formal.

"Aye. Good luck, Majesty. I'd send some un' with yeh, but I haven't a foggiest to whom!"

" Understood. Good luck to you to."

He walked away. She picked up her bags, one in each hand, and began searching for someone or something to tell her where she should be.

She walked over to where she saw a regal-looking man overseeing something done on the Astronomer's Tower. He wore a yellow tunic with full, billowing sleeves with a red vest overtop. His cape clashed horribly with its red and purple insignia. His scepter marked him as a member of the _Katchéà _family. Kalsasin had learned in her studies that the _Katchéà _family was the Tortallan equivalent of a family in the Book of Gold.

"Excuse me," she said, trying to have some sort of dignity. "Where…should I be?"

He looked at her, while still carrying on a conversation with a worker, obviously distressed. A look of disgust came upon his face.

"I cannot worry about your problems, _my dear_. The princess is arriving tomorrow, and we simply _must _clean this place up!"

She sighed.

"And what if the princess is already here?"

He swore.

"Is she? Where? _Take me to her_. By the Graveyard Hag, why does this always happen to me? And at the worst possible time!" He started having a conniption. "Is that a Tortallan ship in the harbor? It is! It is! _Where is the princess_?"

Silence, with the exception of the massive amounts of noise around them.

"You're looking at her."

"What do you mean? The only person I'm looking at is…you."

"Well your eyes work. How about your brain?" Kalasin didn't even regret that remark. She could do whatever she wanted.

He stiffened.

"Well I never!" he muttered. "I think _someone_ should put _you _in your place!"

Some of the men working around them started to listen in. No one had ever talked to a member of the _Katchéà _family like that before. They were enjoying it, especially how a girl was doing it.

"My place?" she retorted. "My place is higher than you could ever _dream_."

"Why would_ I _dream about living in the streets, eating naught but rats!"

She was tempted beyond belief to slap him.

"What," she said, through clenched teeth, "is your name?"

"I highly doubt that you will ever need nor use it. But so you can have a story to tell your lice-infected friends, tell them that Lukiem Hashamr of the family _Katchéà_ spoke to you. I would tell you the rest of my titles, although I don't think your short-term memory could hold all of that information."

"Thank you. I appreciate your time. Now, back to my question. Where should I be? And before another stupid answer come out of your mouth, think I about this: I _am _the princess."

Silence, including every worker. This was a nasty surprise.

"Well I be darned," someone exclaimed.

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A/N-Sorry about the wait. It's summer vacation! But anyways, I do know the plot, although I am completely open to any suggestions. It will hopefully end up being K/K.

Yesterday I ran into a pole. About 20 times. The thing is, it was the same pole. Long story. Anyways, tomorrow is my birthday! Yay! Although I'm not sure if I got enough warm&fuzzy feelings, a.k.a. REVIEW!


	3. Daine and Numair

A/N-Turning fifteen today. Scary, really. Kudos to all of my reviwers!

Disclaimer-I simply use the characters in my own strange plots. Don't sue, please.

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"Daine! I simply don't trust him!"

"Numair! What don't you trust?"

Numair sighed. He and his student were in his quarters, having a conversation, or more like an argument, about Kaddar and Kalasin. He slicked a hand over his hair while he exhaled softly.

"Did you…see the way he looked at you? And you were fifteen! Fifteen! And she's thirteen! He wanted you so bad, you can only guess what he'll do to her!"

Daine, previously sitting, stood up and began pacing.

"Are you suggesting," she paused briefly, "that Kaddar will mistreat her? You know he would _never _do that!"

"There's bad blood in Carthak," he muttered.

"You said that about the Copper Isles!"

"I thought you wouldn't notice."

No matter how hard she tried against it, a small smile crept up onto her lips.

"Well there's nothing we can do about it now," Daine said, once again sitting down. "We need this alliance. And I'm sure Kalasin would write to us the _second _she was being mistreated!"

Numair looked out of the window.

"I hope you're right, Magelet. I hope you're right."

And then they moved onto another topic.

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A/N-It was short, I know, but useful. I had to give insight on the Tortallan views. Please R&R!


	4. Bugs

A/N-Thanks to my reviewers!

Disclaimer-Naught but the plot is mine.

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_"Thank you. I appreciate your time. Now, back to my question. Where should I be? And before another stupid answer come out of your mouth, think I about this: I am the princess."_

_Silence, including every worker. This was a nasty surprise._

"_Well I be darned," someone exclaimed._

"Quiet!" snapped Lukiem. "How do _I _know that your not simply a-a low-born, commoner wench? I should be dealing with a _real _princess, one who knows when to hold her tongue!"

"Do you really want proof?" She was going to make his life miserable. She had found out by torturing people with stupid questions was an excellent way.

"Yes I want proof!"

She handed over several documents. She than called for the captain of the ship she had been on.

Lukiem still wasn't satisfied.

After every single document had been looked over, every member of the ship interrogated, and a mage to confirm that the papers were not forged and she was in fact Kalasin, Lukiem was in a very difficult position.

"We…were not expecting you for a day still," Lukiem said, trying in vain to smile.

"Good passage and an even better captain. Now, for the last time: _where should I be?_"

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_Finally_, Kalsin thought,_ a bed that isn't rocking_.

Kalasin was flopped down on her massive temporary bed. She thought over the events of the last hour. She had been brought to the east wing, which had survived Daine's rampage, and been told to wait for a slave to tend to her any whims. Lukiem had somehow disappeared as soon as she reached the palace.

A sharp sting on her arm brought her back to reality. She had left the window open. She jumped up, and swatted a massive bug on her arm. She…_despised_ bugs. Carthak would take some time to get used to, since the bugs here were twice the size of the ones in Tortall.

"Mithros!" she shouted as another bug of the same kind flew in. She smacked it against the bedside table, where it had landed. Then two more flew in. She let out a small scream of frustration. If she closed the window, she would die of heat, but if she left it open the bugs would feast on her, since they obviously enjoyed stinging her.

She picked up a book that was lying on a desk, and began running around the room like a maniac trying to smack the bugs into tiny bits.

And then the door opened.

Kalasin immediately recognized him as her soon-to-be husband, Kaddar.

He took one look at her messed-up hair, her book that was covered in one of the bug's guts, her clothes that were mussed, and her trying sneaking up on one of the massive bugs.

"Am I interrupting something?" he asked smoothly.

She put the book down and smoothed her hand over her hair.

"Not at all, Majesty." She bowed down, since she couldn't curtsy, seeing as how she was still in breeches.

He looked around her room, which by the second was being invaded by more and more bugs.

"Here," he said, walking over to the window. "This may help."

He pulled the tie on a piece of fabric beside the window, and before Kalasin thought it had been decoration. They were made of extremely light, purple fabric, light enough to see through it. It was then Kalasin noticed a slide at the top of the window. He pulled the fabric across, and tied it on the other side. Her window was now protected by the oncoming bugs, but the outside air could now come in.

"Thank you, Majesty. I appreciate it."

All of a sudden, Kaddar realized that he was a room with his betrothed.

Voice strained with tightness, he said, "I have told a slave to tell you on what will happen over the course of the next few days. I hope you will find it to your liking. I had received news of your arrival by Lukiem, and wished to extend a formal greeting to you."

Inside her head, Kalasin swore violently. She hadn't heard such formal talk for ages.

Matching his formality, she said, "It is of course of my liking. I would expect no less of the Emperor."

He nodded. They then stumbled over bits of small talk, which went over horribly.

"Excuse me, Majesty," she was nearing tears at the prospect of marrying someone she couldn't even talk with, "can I have a minute please?"

He nodded once again and left. The second the door closed, Kalasin broke out crying.

_Why? _She thought. _I can have anything I ever wanted! Gold, money, chocolate, riches, and power-yet I hate it! I hate it!_ She grabbed the book and threw it across the room. She knew the answer to her question. Because Carthak simply wasn't Tortall.

She then grabbed a piece of parchment and a quill, and began writing a letter home.

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A/N-Awwww, poor Kalasin! Don't hate me! It'll get better, and will all be explained….please review!


	5. The Slave

A/N-I just found out something pretty darn cool. I was looking up meanings of names for Kalasin and Kaddar. I found out Kalasin means 'black water'. That didn't really fit the story, but hey. It also said 'Kala' was the Hawaiian form of 'Sarah.' So I looked up 'Sarah' and got 'Lady, princess.'

Disclaimer-You know the drill: none of the characters, excluding Lukiem, are mine.

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Kalasin awoke to one of the few remaining bugs sting her once again on the arm. She sat up, groaning. From the remaining sunlight streaming through the window, she could tell she'd been asleep only an hour.

She had fallen asleep at the desk once she had finished her letters, and her face was sticky due to tears. She looked at the three letters: one to her parents, one to Daine, and the last to Roald. They were all different.

The one to her brother told the most lies, since he would probably ship himself to Carthak and kill Kaddar if he ever found out she was unhappy. The letter to her parents said Carthak was a nice place, although she still had to work on her relationship with Kaddar.

The letter to Daine was the entire truth. Kalasin told her about how she simply did nor know _what_ to do with Kaddar, how she hated the bugs, the weather, Lukiem, and how she had no friends.

Once she had sealed all of the letters, she leaned back, sighing. Soon she would be happy. She would have a nice husband, all of the bugs would mysteriously die off, the weather would get cooler and Lukiem would somehow disappear…a knock brought her back to attention.

"Come in!" she called, having no idea of who it could be.

A young girl, about the age of Kalasin, came in. Kalasin flinched.

She wore no shirt, or _anything_. In fact, the only piece of clothing she wore was a rag/loincloth. Her head was shaved, and her body was full of cuts and bruises.

_I thought Daine said Kaddar was going to put a stop to slavery!_ Kalasin thought furiously.

"Nobility…" she stuttered, "I-I was as-asked to-to,"

Kalasin cut her off.

"What is your name?"

"We-we do not deserve na-names, Nobility."

"Yes you do! Your name will be…"

"Ple-please Nobility, I am-am not in need of-of a na-name."

"As you wish, then." Kalasin walked over to her bags, and dug through them. "Here, wear this."

She pulled out an expensive-looking tunic. It was the best money could buy. The girl looked appalled.

"No-no Nobility, no. We-we do not-not except gift-gifts from our-our superiors!"

"Starting now you do. I _will not_ have my _servants_ walking around wearing nothing but a rag!"

"But-but something mo-more suitable! Pl-please Nobility?"

"I order you to wear it."

The girl took it with trembling hands. Obviously she had never even _touched _something that nice.

"Nobility I-I must give my-my thanks! Any-anything you wish of my low self, I will-will give it to you, Nobility!"

Kalasin would have to talk with Kaddar about this.

"So why have you come?"

"I-I have been ordered to show you to-to more suitable quarters, Nobility. And to ask you the meaning of your-your name, Nobility."

"The meaning of my name?"

"Yes-yes, Nobility. It-it is custom for the Empress, wh-who is not _yet _the Empr-Empress to add her-her meaning of-of her name t-t-to her titles. It-it is so that-that she wi-will not be without Carthaki ti-titles."

Kalasin pondered this.

"Are you saying, that if my name meant 'fair', then my title would be Kalasin the fair, princess of Tortall, and then my other titles?"

The slave nodded. "Yes, Nobility."

"That's fair stupid."

"If-if I may ask why, Nobility?"

Kalasin sighed. She was doing that a lot lately.

"Think about this. My name means 'black water'. So am I to be: Kalasin the black water, princess of Tortall?"

The slave almost looked like she wanted to smile, although the sensation quickly passed.

"Yes, Nobility. Pl-please gather al-all of your belo-belongings."

She did so, and proceeded to let the slave show her to her new quarters.

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A/N-More to come! At least if I don't press the 'lil 'ole 'delete' button, which I am very tempted to press. Also, **I need help!** I'm afraid Kalasin is quickly turning into a Mary-Sue extreme case here. I need faults! Anyways, hope you like it!


	6. Letters and Leopards

A/N-Thanks to all of my reviewers! The wonderful people who reviewed last time are: **Gemm**, **ilovepandas2006**,** Dark.Angel.of.Tortal-007**,** Rauros Falls**, and

**meganidge. **

Disclaimer-Insert previous disclaimers here.

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"Magelet…" Numair began to say, walking through the doorway.

"Yes?" Daine replied.

He walked over to her, an envelope in hand.

"Here, this just arrived for you. It has the royal seal of Carthak on it, so I'm guessing it's from Kally."

They exchanged rueful glances. Both of them remembered Daine's remark about Kalasin writing home the second she was being mistreated. She had said that comment in the very room they were in.

She opened it, and read out loud:

_Dear Daine, and most likely Numair also,_

_I am not sure what to do with myself. I have already talked with Kaddar today, and it went over terribly. We fumbled from topic to topic, and it was incredibly awkward. What should I do? The weather is humid, I've made my first enemy, and have you seen the bugs? They're massive!_

_The Kaddar problem bothers me the most. And no, Numair, he is not hurting me in any way. I know I shouldn't be complaining, but I simply don't know what else to do. I just have to remember this: all of this is for my country._

_Also, please do not mention this letter to _anyone. _All of the other letters I sent were lies. Please send my regards to anyone who asks. Well, I'll write again soon, hopefully. If you wish you can send a reply._

_Kalasin_

Daine nor Numair said anything for the next couple of minutes, until Numair's soft whisper said:

"Leopards don't change their spots."

Daine looked at him while she tied her curls back. "Pardon?"

"Think about this: all of the letters are being screened, right? Someone reads them, to check for things like hidden codes or messages. Kally obviously didn't write about Kaddar mistreating her because someone would have read that! She simply would have been to embarrassed to write about it!"

"Embarrassed?"

"Oh, I don't know, something! But either way-leopards don't change their spots, right? You of all people know this!"

"You mean a leopard can't change the pattern of his spots? Interesting comparison."

"Exactly! Kaddar is the leopard in this case, and he can't change the way he views women! Remember, he was looking at you and-,"

"Numair!"

"What?"

"Kaddar was simply friendly!" Daine countered. "Nothing else."

Numair shrugged.

"To each his own. Or her, in your case."

Daine shrugged, and began writing a response to Kalasin's letter.

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A/N- I've decided NOT to delete this, since this is going to be experiment fic. I'll try to put in more detail, and play around with Kalasin's faults. So technically, this is just my delay chapter. Also, I'm planning to do one D/N chapter for every two Kalasin ones. Should I change that?

Please review! Pretty please, with a cherry on top?


	7. Plots and Stupid Questions

A/N-I think I'm recovered, at least temporarily, from by bout of insanity. (See my fic 'Bored'.) Anyways, on with the show!

Disclaimer-No, I am not Tamora Pierce…. therefore the characters aren't mine.

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Lukiem Hashamr slammed the door behind him as hard as he could.

He was _not_ in a good mood. Then again, he was never in a good mood. But he was in a worse mood than before.

And it was because of the wench, Kalasin.

He paced around his quarters. Because of his high position in the Council, his room was more lavish than most. Both the floor and walls were marble, and the lanterns placed at intervals around the walls gave it a shiny reflection. It was rather large, and a delicately carved bed, and an expensive desk covered most of the space. He plopped himself down on the chair in front of the desk.

_That female!_ He thought. _Thinking the she's ever- so -perfect! She can't insult a member of the _Katchéà _family like that!_

He knew he had to dislodge the she-wolf from the throne.

And he would use any means possible.

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_Stupid slave_, Kalasin thought. She was _trying_ to talk with the girl, but her only words were stuttered and ended with 'Nobility'.

Nobility. Nobility. If Kalasin ever heard that word again, she thought she would scream.

They were walking along the palace halls, trying to get to Kalasin's new room. Trying. The slave said that she should not walk in front of Kalasin, so whenever they came to where they could turn Kalasin had to turn around and ask where to go.

The tapestries were…interesting, to say the least. They told stories of blood, war, fire and famine. Hopefully Kalasin would change that.

From the arrow slits Kalasin could tell that it was getting late, and finally, they arrived at massive doors, guarded by two fully armed guards.

"Halt!" the one on the right shouted. "Who goes there?"

"Me," she said.

The guards exchanged glances. No one had ever said _that _before.

"Your name?" the other one asked.

Behind Kalasin, the slave fidgeted.

"Why would you care?" Kalasin asked. She loved making peoples lives harder with stupid questions. She loved the looks on their faces.

"We care because it is our duty to serve and protect the Emperor!"

"And not the Empress? I would have thought you would have cared more about her!"

The guard on the right stepped forward. "Just who do you think you are?"

Kalasin sighed. Carthaki's lacked common sense.

"Me! I am I!"

Only years of discipline kept the soldiers from laughing. They had obviously figured that this girl meant no harm, since it would have been impossible to get past the other guards.

"You am 'I'?" the soldier on the left said. "I thought you were 'me'!"

"Of course I'm not you! I'm Kalasin, the princess. You know, the Empress-to-be?"

The soldiers were obviously confused, until the words of her last sentence worked it's way into their thick heads.

"Princess," they both muttered, then bowed.

"That's me. Can I go in? I've been instructed by my lovely _servant _here," she gestured, "that these are my new quarters. Is she correct?"

"Yes she is, Nobility. Do you wish to enter?"

_Not…the word Nobility…_Kalasin thought silently.

"Yes. Please allow my servant to follow as well."

They both nodded and opened the massive doors.

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Nothing could have prepared Kalasin for what she saw. Nothing at all.

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A/N-How was it?

I'm really tempted to bump this up to 'T'. I was unbelievably tempted to swear in this chapter, especially in the part with Lukiem. But I didn't. Is it ok if I swear and bump it up? I don't know if it fits the characters well enough.

Please review!


	8. Wax

A/N-Thanks to my reviewers! Actually, I had forgotten to post this chapter, and I was wondering why I didn't get any reviews, or why it wasn't showing up. But here it is!

Disclaimer-The characters? Not mine.

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_They both nodded and opened the massive doors._

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_Nothing could have prepared Kalasin for what she saw. Nothing at all._

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She felt numerous emotions at once. The first was surprise, than awe, than glee.

This room was bigger than the mess hall in Tortall.

It was massive. Her parents never had anything like this!

She began looking around, but it hurt to stare so much. The walls and floor, unlike the other rooms, were made of much more expensive stone, but she didn't know which kind. It looked almost like ruby, but it was much darker.

Instead of the one desk she had, now there were two. _Wonder who that's for_, she thought. The bed was the finest make, with silk sheets. Her eyes caught a body-length mirror. She walked over to it, and surprised herself.

The reflection didn't look like her. Sure, it had black hair and blue eyes, but this new girl looked more…refined. Kalasin actually figured she liked it.

A privy was to her right, and something _splashing _to her left.

She went to inspect to splashing sound. Once again, her jaw dropped.

It was a bath, but it was _huge_! It was about the same size as one of the _public _baths in Tortall. It even had a miniature waterfall!

Kalasin was eight again. She wanted, more than anything, to jump in. She quickly stripped off her breeches and dived in.

It was the perfect temperature. Her feet didn't even touch the bottom! At least they didn't when she was in the deeper end. But she had never felt that sensation before, other than in the ocean.

She noticed there were various bottles by the waterfall. Once she had found that the violently pink bottle contained shampoo, she poured it all over her head. She hadn't bathed since she first left Tortall!

The orange bottle had conditioner, the yellow body wash, the green various oils, although she hadn't figured out the use of some fabric strips and the red bottle. The red bottle was above a heating pad.

On the label it said: **Wax**. _What did that mean?_ She thought. She picked up the bottle.

_Well, only one -way to find out!_ She thought again.

She turned, and put her leg on one of the stairs above the water level. She poured the stuff all over her leg. It was hot! The stuff didn't drip off her leg. Strange. She put it under water. Nothing.

_Maybe that's what the fabric is for! _She thought. _To help get it off of my leg!_

She placed the fabric on some of the wax. It stuck, and hurt if she tried to move it.

Maybe she had to rip it off at one time.

So she did.

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"Mithros bless!" she shouted, loudly. That hurt. A lot!

A knock came from the door.

"Is everything alright, princess?" a guard asked.

_No, _she thought.

"Yes!" she said.

She returned to her problem, how to get the rest of the wax off. The only way was the fabric.

The spent the next couple of minutes flinching and biting her tongue. Finally, all of the wax was gone. She felt her leg, to see if it was bleeding or had cuts.

It was smooth! Maybe she should do that more often! It hurt, but was faster than any other way.

Now that her ordeal was done, she sat back against a rock and listened to the sounds of the waterfall. She hadn't felt this relaxed in a long time.

_Maybe, just maybe, _she thought, _Carthak won't be that bad._


	9. Disrobing

A/N-Rating has gone up. You'll be able to tell by the first sentence. Thanks to my reviewers, and sorry about the delay! I was supposed to go on a _short _bike ride, but I ended up in another city! That's my excuse.

Disclaimer-Same as before. The characters aren't mine.

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"Bitch!" Lukiem shouted. "That…damn bitch!"

He slammed his fist into the delicately carved desk. A small crack appeared.

Lukiem had spent the last of his waking hours pouring over ways to get Kalasin The Wench away from Kaddar, and more importantly, the throne.

She had no respect for anyone! She was Tortallan, the people they were considering going to war with only three years ago! He could see it now: she would take the throne. Then, as soon as she was in power, she would bankrupt the kingdom, and go running back to Tortall. He knew her plan.

He would stop her.

He laughed.

Stop her, indeed.

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Kalasin was relaxing against the waterfall, and figured she had probably been in the bath around an hour when _the door opened._

She quickly dove underwater as the person walked into the room. Who could get past the guards? She hadn't heard any commotion outside the doors…

And then it hit her. She had to share this room…with Kaddar!

It made sense, but she hadn't thought of that before. She just prayed that he wouldn't want to take a bath.

She quickly ran out of breath, and slowly, as to not cause any sound, she rose and broke the surface. She peered above the bath's outer edge.

He was disrobing.

_He's pretty good-looking!_ Kalasin thought before she could stop herself. She immediately scolded herself.

But he was. His tan skin and his cropped black hair went well with the reds, oranges and yellows of Carthaki royalty. He was tall for his age, above the six-foot mark. He was fit and looked like he had been built for his life.

His entire torso was now uncovered. Kalasin kept looking, waiting for something she didn't yet know of…

"Graveyard Hag!" he shouted.

He had spotted her.

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A/N-Cliffy! I know it's short, but it's a chapter. Please, please review.


	10. Bad Mother?

A/N-It's Daine and Numair time! Well, Thayet's in it also.

Disclaimer-The characters aren't mine.

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"Do you love me, Magelet?"

"That's like asking the question 'Do you like animals'."

Numair chuckled, and kissed Daine softly on the cheek.

They both leaned back against the tree, taking in the beautiful scenery, consisting of a clear blue pond, forestry, and shrubbery. It wasn't very far from Corus, although few knew about it.

A squirrel ran up Daine's leg, and the Wildmage began to stroke it gently.

Numair was about to say something, but hoof beats interrupted him.

They both stood up, ready for anything.

A chestnut roan came into the clearing, with a female figure riding it. The rider dismounted, and it was, to Daine and Numair's surprise, Thayet.

"Majesty," they both mumbled, bowing.

"Get up," she whispered. "Please."

Daine walked over to her elder, and noticed that she had been crying.

"Majesty, what's wrong? You've been crying."

Blood-shot eyes met Daine's blue-gray eyes.

"Its just Thayet. I saw you coming here, and I have to talk with you." The queen, still having one hand on her horse, started to pet in gently.

"Gods, Daine, I'm such a bad mother," she whispered.

"No your not!" Daine walked to Thayet's side, putting her arm on the queen's shoulder.

Thayet grabbed Daine's hand and removed it from her shoulder.

"Would a good mother send her daughter to marry someone who she's met once, who she hates, who is six years older? Would a good mother really do that?"

Daine was speechless, but luckily Numair saved her.

"Thayet, you have to balance being a good mother _and _queen. That's hard! Kalasin just sent us a letter, and she said she was loving Carthak!"

Daine flinched. Numair had just lied to the queen.

"Did she?"

"Yes she did," Numair continued, "and she also mentioned how much she loved her parents. So she's quite happy."

Thayet gave him a watery smile.

"Thank, you Numair. I…appreciate it."

The three of them sat against the tree, and moved onto more pleasant topics.

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A/N-Bah. Don't like this chapter. Seriously, please tell me what I should change in it, it just doesn't seem right. Please review!


	11. Going to Sleep

A/N-Ugh! I have so many plot ideas! I'm still sorting them out, so there may be a bigger break in between chapters.

Disclaimer-The characters aren't mine.

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_"Graveyard Hag!" he shouted._

_He had spotted her._

"What do you think your _doing_?" he yelled. "You could have said something!"

For some reason, the made Kalasin extremely angry.

She got up out of the bath, livid.

"What do I think I'm doing? I know what I'm doing. I have just been sent by my parents to a foreign land, which I know little about. I have endured four days at sea to be greeted by a man who thinks I'm a wench. I do not think I have bathed, nor relaxed for the past days. I think I deserve _something_. This bath-,"

And that was when she realized she was naked.

"Gods no…" she said, and quickly ran for a towel. She grabbed a fluffy white towel and hoisted it around her shoulders.

"I-I don't know what to say…" she mumbled.

Silence.

"This is awkward," Kaddar said, half-naked himself.

More silence.

She quickly and quietly walked to her bags, and pulled out a silk nightgown. Using her towel as a shield she dressed underneath it.

While she had changed into her nightdress, Kaddar had on soft yellow breeches, obviously meant for sleeping in. He slipped underneath the covers of the bed. He mumbled something that sounded like "Goodnight."

She had to sleep in the same bed as someone six years older than herself!

She decided to stall. She brushed her hair, put all of her things away, and did anything that needed to be done, which wasn't much.

But she still had to get in the bed.

Slowly and steadily she lifted the covers, not knowing what she was afraid of.

_What's the worst thing that can happen? _She thought. _That Kadar will wake up. He still might be awake! Or what if-_

She shoved the thoughts out of her head. No need to delay the inevitable.

She climbed into the bead, and rested her head on the pillow.

_Not bad, for my first day, _she thought. _I only was insulted by a weird man, was attacked by killer bugs and stood naked in front of the Emperor. At least I had a nice bath._

And with that final optimistic note, she fell asleep.

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"Are you with me?" Lukiem said. A chorus of 'Aye' and 'Sure' met his ears.

_This is good, _Lukiem thought.

_This is very good. _

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A/N-Bad Lukiem! Bad! What's he planning? You'll have to read to find out!

I'm actually going to introduce a plot in the next chapter. Please, please review. Also, am I the only one having problems uploading documents? Sometimes it just deletes entire scenes.


	12. Waking up and the Female Dog

A/N-I'm seriously considering killing my document manager, but I don't know how. It did the thing again, it just took out the entire ending of the last chapter, so I had to edit it but luckily I found it before I posted it. So if someone's talking and all of a sudden it's an entirely different scene, it's not my fault. At least, I don't think it is.

Disclaimer-….The characters aren't mine….they never will be….

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A knock on the massive doors sounded, and Kalasin's eyes popped open. She shut them. She was too tired to care whom it was, she was to be the Empress. She was allowed to sleep in.

The knock sounded again. Kalasin groaned and rolled over. She was shocked to find that Kaddar wasn't there. She decided that he had already gotten up.

_Go away_, she thought, not noticing she wasn't saying it aloud.

When the knocks sounded again, she just muttered, "Come…"

The doors opened, and the slave that Kalasin had been talking to the day before walked in timidly. Kalasin swore inside her head. She didn't want to deal with the slave right now.

"Ex-excuse m…me, but I hav-have been sent to wake yo-you, Nobility."

"By whom…" she sleepily said. She was still lying down, and did not intend to get up.

"Lu-Lukiem Hasham-r, member of-of the _Katchéà _fam-family, sac-sacred holder of the-the goblet-et of _Jukéminiti,-_,"

"The goblet of _Jukéminiti _is a cup with mold growing in it. The _Katchéà _family is just a bunch of old people who think that they're better than everyone else."

The slave looked shocked.

"Thin-think as you wish, No-Nobility, but I mu-must wake y-you."

"I'm awake. You can leave now." And that's when something dawned on her-the slave was once again wearing no shirt. _That _got her to sit up.

"Where is the tunic I gave you?" she demanded.

The slave backed away. "I-I have been ordered by-by Luki-Lukiem Hashamr to-to dress like-like all of-of the others as-as low as me, Nobility."

She stood up. "And where might he be?"

"In-in the stables, Nobility, briefi-," she didn't have time to finish her sentence however, as Kalasin had ran out of her chambers, lighting-fast.

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Kalasin ran outside, looking for the stables.

She was still un-aware she was in a skimpy nightgown.

Once she had found the stables (all she had to do was follow her nose), she walked right in.

It was the same as Tortallan stables, just with different breeds of horses. The rafters were filled with hay, and the distinct smells of horses were around her. In the center, there was one medium-sized table, most likely for briefing others of missions, or just a place to relax. Sitting at the table was Lukiem and five others. Four men, one female. They were all dressed in expensive reds and golds.

"Excuse me," she called, furious. "Why in the-,"

"Princess!" Lukiem said charmingly, rising from his seat. The others did the same. "This _is _a pleasure. We did not expect you! That is fine though, in fact, that is much better than I originally planned!"

"I don't give a damn. Tell me, _why did you take away the slave's tunic._?"

"Princess!" Lukiem sickly said. "I did not expect you to use such language!"

"Damn you, bastard. Answer me. That's an order."

Unknowingly to Kalasin, a young man made his way behind her…

His 'charming-ness' disappeared.

"You _are _a nuisance. I know your plan, the one to kill us all and bankrupt the kingdom. You'll seduce Kaddar, and take him with you back to Tortall. That other bitch, the one that was here three years ago, was trying to do that, but she failed."

_How dare he call Daine a bitch!_ She thought. But then, if he was to annoy her, she might as well annoy him.

"That's right. Daine _is _a bitch. Or at least, she can be one, if she wants. Oh wait, are you aware that a bitch is just a female dog? Or were you just too stupid to know that?"

To her surprise, he smiled.

"Now," he whispered.

The next thing Kalasin saw was blackness.

And the next thing she felt was pain.

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A/N-The whole female dog thing brought back memories. Once, in grade two, I got up in front of the class and said: "I bitch is a female dog. And an ass is a donkey." I got a really weird look from the teacher, when I thought I would be praised. Meh.

I hope this chapter didn't go too fast. If it did, just tell me and I'll add more.

**Pleasepleasepleaseplease **review!


	13. The Line Must be Drawn Here!

A/N-Sorry about the language in the last chapter…I was having…aggressive tendencies at the moment. I mean, really, they just killed off one of my favourite characters in a movie I just watched! I'll try to tone it down. I personally **never **swear, so it's way out of character for me. Anyways, here's the next chapter! And I had to watch the movie again, (Nemesis) just to get over the death. Wah!

Also, I've been compiling quotes from different places. In this chapter, I used a lot of quotes from random places. If I put it all in italics, practically the whole story would be in italics.

Disclaimer-All of the characters belong to Mrs.Pierce. Also, I don't own anything by Groove Coverage, Star Trek: First Contact or anything else I may have missed. I borrowed quotes from them.

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Kalasin opened her eyes.

But she didn't know that, as it was blackness that met her eyes.

She groaned and rolled over. Where was she? She felt the floor-dark, damp and dirty. A small window at the top of wherever she was, was the only light source, although it didn't provide much light.

She was in…a silk nightgown. Normally she would have been panicking right about now, but her head felt dizzy. She stood up. Bad idea. She lurched around the room, trying to keep her balance. The room was small, only five feet by five feet. It held nothing but her. There was a door to her left.

Kalasin sat back down, feeling strange. She should be yelling for help, or something, but instead she felt calmness. She remembered nothing.

That was when she realized she had been drugged.

She sighed. Nothing to do but wait for something to happen.

Then, all of a sudden, something _did_ happen. The door opened, and light rushed in.

Kalasin stood.

"Is this a dream, or my reality?"

"Reality," the gruff voice said.

"Are you sure?" she said, leaning against the wall. "I don't like it."

The man stepped forward. The mass of light behind him prevented her from seeing his face, although she could tell he was not to be messed with. No annoying questions for _him _then.

He grabbed her arm. It was a tight grip. "Come with me," he said, through clenched teeth.

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"The line must be drawn _here!_" Kaddar shouted.

"Why, what do you mean, your Highness?" Lukiem said, bowing well more than normal.

Kaddar reached Lukiem in two strides. Kaddar was taller, by only an inch. He grabbed Lukiem's collar and yanked it up, so the two men could see eye to eye.

"_You_," Kaddar said, ready to kill, "are my most _trusted _advisor. That _trust _is quickly slipping away."

"But I have done nothing wrong! Nobility," he added as an afterthought.

If looks could kill, Lukiem would be beyond dead.

"_Where did you put her?_"

"Why, whom?" he said curtly.

"Kalasin! You were that last person to be reported with her, the slaves said so! She hasn't been seen for _a week_."

"Maybe she left, Nobility, you know how she hated it here."

Kaddar let go of Lukiem's collar; Lukiem began massaging his throat.

"She hated it here? How do you know? She was only here for a day!"

Seeing this as an opportunity, Lukiem smiled.

"Think about it, Nobility, think. She was attacked by bugs. You weren't the nicest person in the world, either. I myself must be blamed also. She has nothing left from Tortall. She probably just snuck onto one of the silk trading ships and left."

Kaddar just stared against the wall of his quarters. _Was I really that rude?_ He thought.

"I'll write a letter to Tortall than, we need this alliance!"

Adrenaline rushed through Lukiem's body.

"No! No, that won't do any good at all! Let's just marry that princess from the Copper Isles and forget about the wench!"

Kaddar's hand went back to the collar.

"She is _not_ a wench. Do you want to see a wench? Look in the mirror."

Kaddar secretly praised himself. He had never been good at putting other people down.

"You _are _dismissed."

And Lukiem walked out of the room, happy.

The plan was working.

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A/N-How was it? I'd write more, but I'm hungry. This wasn't _that _short, was it? I've said it before, and I'll say it again: please review!


	14. Breaking Souls and Secret Messages

A/N-This chapter is dedicated to **Erytha**, who told me the meaning of Numair's name. Also, this is the second chapter today! Yay!

I think I cut myself on popcorn today at the movies. It was pretty strange….

Disclaimer- If you recognize, it's not mine. Someone else thought of it before me.

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The guard's hand still kept a firm grip on Kalasin. The way he was holding her, by her right shoulder (he was on the left) meant that she was continually sidestepping her feet, and she couldn't get a good look at her captor.

The hallway however, was illuminated orange by the sunlight coming in through the arrow slits. There was the occasional tapestry or painting, but not much. They never turned; they just kept walking in a straight line.

Finally, they arrived at wherever she was to be. The man opened the door.

It was…a room. It was about three times as big as her cell at least. It held a bed, bookcase, desk mirror, privy, nothing special.

"Stay in here. Don't go out of this room, or I will kill you."

He threw her into the room. She immediately pivoted, to see her captor.

Her soul broke into a million pieces.

It was Kaddar.

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'Kaddar' did not say anything. He simply turned and left. He closed the door behind him, and she heard bolts being locked.

She fell to her knees. How could he do something like this?

She fought back tears. _Nothing _was going right. Nothing.

How long was she in that cell? Who did this to her? She swam through memories, the effects of the drug wearing off…

She had been in the stables…the slave?…Lukiem…pain…

She remembered! She had been talking to Lukiem, when all of a sudden, her memories stopped.

Now that she knew who did this to her, or at least who was the leader of the people who did this, she decided to look around her room.

It was bland, with the exception of the desk. A letter, a piece of parchment and two quills were on it.

She picked up the parchment. It read:

_Dear Princess,_

_I hope you find your quarters to your liking; you will be here for a while. You have been drugged for the past week._

_Once we go to war with Tortall, I shall release you in Corus. Why, do you ask, will Tortall go to war? Because they will believe their princess in dead. When you tell everyone how you've been here (Corus) all along, and Tortall has realized their mistake, then we shall have the allies, namely Tusaine, Maren, Galla, Scanra. Tortall will be…eliminated._

_If you do not go along with the plans, I have ordered Kaddar to kill you._

_Also, respond to the letter. This will be the last one, so they know that you are still alive. Do not say anything that will displease me._

_I hope you enjoy your stay,_

_Sincerely,_

_Lukiem Hashamr._

Kalasin was shocked. _So that's what he's up to, _she thought.

She sat down in the chair, and picked up the letter. It read:

_Dear Kally,_

_I'm sorry to hear about Carthak. About the bugs-you'll get used to them. There really not that bad, they have interesting things to say in conversations. The weather is hot, I know, but dress lighter, and that should help. You'll get a nice tan that even your mother will be jealous of!_

Kaddar. Well, he was really nice to me! Maybe it's just because he feels…trapped. Try talking about things he likes. He enjoys the training yards, and talking with his friends. Work on your archery-you'll gain favor from his friends if you do so. 

_I have to go-Numair is rambling on about how leopards can't change their spots. Write back soon!_

_Things will be better. Don't worry._

_-Daine_

Kalasin smiled. Daine always had a knack for looking on the bright side of things._ Now how to get a message to them_, she thought. She remembered a basic code her father had once taught her. She wrote:

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_Hello, Daine._

_I thank you for the letter, it was kind of you. Am I just being a prick, worrying about everything? Being here has taught me much. Held against my will is not on my mind. Captive…Kaddar is captive of my heart._

_P.S. Help Numair, his titles here would be Numair the baby tiger._

_-Kalasin_

"This isn't right!" Daine shouted. "This letter makes no sense!"

Numair nodded. They were in their quarters, having just received the latest letter. It confused them both.

"Why would Kalasin suddenly change her mind about everything? Why is the Post Script before her name?" Numair asked.

"She wouldn't. Unless…give me the letter." Numair passed her the letter.

"Mithros bless! Numair, look! She wrote a secret code! The most basic one!"

He sat up, as he was lying down before. "What?"

"Look! It's the first word of every sentence!"

"Are you serious?"

"Yes! Look!"

_HELLO, Daine._

_I thank you for the letter, it was kind of you. AM I just being a prick, worrying about everything? BEING here has taught me much. HELD against my will is not on my mind. CAPTIVE…Kaddar is captive of my heart._

_P.S. HELP Numair, his titles here would be Numair the baby tiger._

_-KALASIN_

"Hello, I am being held captive! Help Kalasin! That's the real letter! Numair, we have to tell Thayet! Who knows what's happening to her!"

They both ran out of the room. Numair simply mumbled,

"Leopards don't change their spots."

Daine hoped he was wrong.

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'Kaddar', the one who had just put Kalasin in her rooms, was quite uncomfortable. He wasn't really Kaddar, obviously. His real name was Unikum, and had been put under a spell to make him look like Kaddar. The spell however, was quickly wearing off. It needed to be re-applied.

It was all part of the plan, although it was uncomfortable, being someone your not.

He sighed. He did not know how long before he could be himself.

But for now, he was Kaddar.

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A/N-This is easily one of my favourite chapters. It took me a while on Kally's letter. Please review! Please?


	15. Hopeless and Happy

A/N-74 days 'till 'Terrier' (the next TP book) comes out!

Disclaimer-Me no owns no character you recognize.

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Three times a day, at regular intervals, the door opened in Kalasin's rooms. It was the same thing, in two ways: always bread and water, and always Kaddar.

She had no idea of how long she had been there. Days, weeks, months, time had no meaning. She was positive that drugs were in the bread, but she had to eat it to survive. The drugs made her feel mellow. She never wanted to attack Kaddar and break out of wherever she was. She just wanted…nothing. She wasn't happy, but she wasn't sad either. It was like her emotions had disappeared.

She was hopeless.

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Something wasn't right, but Kaddar couldn't put his finger on it.

Why would Kalasin run away? She knew that this was for an alliance, an alliance they needed badly. Kalasin wouldn't just throw away everything she was meant to be.

Or would she?

Not knowing if Kalasin was all right, or even _alive_, Kaddar felt hopeless.

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Daine brushed a stray strand of hair away from her face, annoyed. She, Numair, the monarchs and all of the most important people in the realm were stuck in a tiny little room, with only a small window for air.

They were there to discuss the 'Kalasin problem'. It was given the utmost security. No one wanted to think about what would happen if commoners found out about this problem. They would think Carthak as a blood enemy, and rebel until the king declared war.

They had discussed many theories on what to do, though none had worked overall.

If they declared war, then chaos would pursue. They had _just _gotten over the Immortals War, and the Scanra War was closing in on them. They couldn't afford any more casualties.

If they just forgot about it, then certainly all of their problems would disappear, but so would Kalasin.

If they approached Carthak on the matter, they might think that Tortall was planning a war.

But there was one solution, and everyone knew it.

Just no one wanted to do it.

Someone, or some people, would have to get into Carthak, find the princess, save her, and return to Tortall.

It sounded like it came out of a book.

If they were caught, who knew what would happen. Kaddar would investigate and accuse then of trespassing. They would be thrown in jail. If they just walked in openly, questions would be asked.

Questions were bad.

So, in that tiny room with one window it was decided that someone would have to sneak into Carthak.

And that person was to be Daine, since she would change into small animals and sneak in.

They were all happy at the choice of who was to be the one in Carthak, since it wasn't them. With the exception of Daine, of course. It was a big job she had to do.

And she felt hopeless.

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Lukiem grinned wolfishly. His spies had reported that long meetings were being held. It was working, his plan to destroy Tortall.

Lukiem had a reason to hate Tortall, and everyone knew it.

He just didn't tell anyone _why _he hated Tortall.

But for now, he was happy.

Happy, indeed.

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A/N-I know it's short. Don't kill me. This was a challenging chapter. I included everyone's POV, and no talking. Either way, I hope you like it!


	16. Drunk Captain

A/N-Thanks to my reviewers! I'm at 83 I think!

Disclaimer-Tamora Pierce thought of the characters before me. Darn.

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Kaddar had been told as a child by his mother that whenever faced with a problem, go to the source of it.

The source of his problem was Kalasin.

Since Kalasin was…unavailable, he had to go to the next 'source'. It was Lukiem, the one who told Kaddar about Kalasin.

Kaddar knew that Lukiem hated Tortall with all of his guts, although he still had yet to know _why_.

Kaddar paced the massive chambers, not knowing what to do. He refused to marry the Copper Isles princess, even though it had been two weeks since Kalasin had last been seen.

And then, at that exact moment when a bug had gotten past the cloth covering the window and bit him, he put it all together.

Lukiem hated Tortall. Kalasin was Tortallan. Kalasin was to be the new Empress. Lukiem hated Kalasin. Lukiem was the last to see Kalasin.

Lukiem had done something to Kalasin.

Now all Kaddar had to do was find out where Kalasin was, find out where Lukiem was, prevent whatever Lukiem was doing and finally, the most important thing, give Lukiem a very, very painful death.

Kaddar had always been protective of ones he loved.

_So does that mean I love her?_ He thought.

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Daine was of course not in the best of moods. Unlike Kalasin, they had experienced long, rough passage over The Inland Sea.

The silk trading ship she was on had been in better shape, but due to the ever-increasing Scanra War ships were becoming more and more rare.

And when the captain became drunk, that didn't help Daine's mood either.

"Well ur a purty lass!" he staggered up to her. She was leaning over the railing, concentrating on nearby whales.

"Excuse me?"

"Yeh heard meh. Will yeh be me wife?"

Daine looked at the captain's left hand.

"Your already married."

He looked at his hand.

"Will yeh lookit that."

And then, when a strong wind suddenly blew, the captain, having no balance whatsoever, fell overboard.

Daine sighed.

"Man overboard!" she shouted.

Drunken shouts and quarrels met her ears.

_Am I the only sober one on this ship?_ She thought.

She dived in the icy cold water. The captain was sinking, but she had no problem. When she returned to the surface, captain in arm, the ship was quickly sailing away.

Daine wanted to shout out in frustration.

She quickly changed into a sea lion, maneuvered the captain onto her back, and sped towards the ship. When she reached it, she changed back into human form. Luckily, the slightly sober first-mate threw rope down. She and the captain (on her back) climbed up.

When she dumped the captain onto the deck and stood up, she heard only wolf whistles.

She was standing naked in front of an entire crew of sailors.

Daine wanted to cry and laugh at the same time.

Luckily for her, at that moment Carthak came into view.

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A/N-Poor Daine. Now both her and Kalasin have been standing naked in front of men in this story. Either way, please review!


	17. Daine

A/N-Wow! I'm almost at one hundred reviews! Wonder who it'll be…also, I've been incredibly lazy answering reviews; I'll do it for this chapter.

Disclaimer-The characters that you recognize aren't mine. Lukiem is mine. But he's evil. Not fair. Meh. This chapter is based on a scene in Star Trek: First Contact, when a character is drunk, so I don't own the basis of it.

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To occupy her time, Kalasin did…nothing. She did not recognize anything as anything, with the exception of food and water. All twenty-four hours were spent sitting, lying down, eating and sleeping.

Every once in awhile, she would slowly have her senses come back. She would wonder why she was there, where she was, anything. But than Kaddar would come into the room and give her more 'food', along with the drugs in it.

If she had a choice, she wouldn't have eaten the bread, or drank the water. But yet she had to, for the sake of her own life.

At one of the times when her senses were most active, a question once asked by her brother popped into her head.

_Would you rather be thrown from a horse and die, or be thrown from a horse and be paralyzed for the rest of your life?_

Kalasin answered she would rather have died. Something about not being able to move her body made her incredibly…nervous. One had to be incredibly brave to endure that. She gave credit to those who did.

This was the same thing, in a way.

She _refused _to sit here drugged. She would rather die than do nothing.

She put down the bread she was about to eat.

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Kaddar was frustrated. Lukiem was nowhere to be found, and he had a splitting headache. Every time he had a headache, he always did the same thing, and today would be no exception.

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The second the ship came into the docks, Daine breathed a sigh of relief. Using a cat's ability to always land on its feet, she jumped off the side of the ship and landed with a _thunk _onto the docks below, not bothering to thank the captain.

After she had rescued the captain, she had received four proposals, five sloppy things they called kisses, and three 'presents' that were just fish wrapped in clothes.

She hoisted her lone bag onto her shoulder, and took a look around. It had been three years since she had been here.

She saw everything Kalasin had seen, but with a different perspective. Kalasin had seen it as chaotic, confusing loud. Daine saw the same things, except she knew _she_ had caused this. These men, if not for Daine, could be doing things much more worth their time.

Now, what to do.

She knew she couldn't be seen. She quickly made her way to the ocean line, where she roamed the edges, skirting around large groups of people. She decided to make her way to the center of the Lower City, where she could find cheap rooms, and people too drunk to remember her.

Once she had successfully made her way into the Lower City, she found an inn called _The Pretty Lass_. Not the best inn in the world, due to the creaking windows and broken-down door, but in would have to do.

She entered, and the second she did, she sincerely hoped she wouldn't regret this.

It was a rather large common room she had entered. Brawls were everywhere, shattered glass from bottles flying through the air like daggers. Men were unshaven, their clothes not washed in years. Women younger than Daine were walking around in tight-fitting dresses that showed more than enough of body parts.

Small fires were abundant, the smoke filling the room with an atrocious smell. The walls and floor were made of wood, to Daine's discomfort. This place was screaming for a fire to get out of control.

She approached the bar, which doubled as a table for people to check in and out of the inn.

"Excuse me," she called, gesturing to someone who worked there, "could I have a room, please?"

"Pardon?" he shouted over the noise.

"I said," she said louder, "can I have a room?"

"Say what?"

"Room!"

"A room? Why didn't you say so?" he passed her a key. "Last door on your right. Will you be in any need of male company?"

She snatched the key out of his hand.

"No," she said, and gave him a dirty look. She walked off.

Ducking fists from a fight, she made her way into the hallway, where there wasn't much action.

Last door on her right…there it was. She put in the key and opened the door.

It was dark, and she couldn't see much. She made her way to the window, and pulled back the shutters. The light illuminated everything in the room.

A bed that was falling apart, a closet without doors, a desk and chair that were in mildly good condition and a rug torn to tatters met her eyes. Blankets were in the corner. Once she had put away the few things she had brought with her, she sat down on the chair, wondering what to do next.

She decided the first thing to do was where Kalasin currently was. Since she was tired, she voted for going down to the common room to question the occupants, not sneak around the palace, blindly searching from room to room. She knew this was a long shot, since not that many people even knew of Kalasin, but she had to try.

She made her way back to the common room, and plunked herself into a chair at the bar. She sat there for a minute, trying to ignore the fighting, fires and brawls, and then turned to the man beside her, who was sitting alone.

"Excuse me," she said, "do you know someone by the name of…Kalasin?"

The man turned around. He had dark hair, and a shaven face, unlike many others here.

"I might," he said.

Daine was shocked. And her first try, to!

"Tell me about her!"

He turned so he directly faced her.

"Only if you have a scotch with meh."

She decided it was worth it, and ordered the drink.

"So tell me!" she demanded.

"After a couple of tequilas then!"

"Tequilas? What are they?" Daine had never been a drinker.

"The best thing ever made!" he replied enthusiastically.

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Kaddar looked up at the sign: _The Pretty Lass_. This place had the best drinks in the world, and whenever he felt he needed a lift he just stopped by here for a quick drink.

It was normal and hectic as ever, with one exception. Usually only regulars came here, but there was a very pretty brunette at the bar, who was swaying.

He went up to her.

"Excuse me, but may I interest you in-," his eyes widened, "Daine?"

Her blue-grey eyes looked up at his.

"Aye, it's me. Hello, Kaddar." She swayed more.

He looked at her.

"You're drunk."

She looked shocked.

"I am not! I was simply trying to get information about Kalasin here! If you have a problem with that, say so!"

He looked at her, again.

"I didn't know you drank."

"I don't! It took three shots of tequila, whatever it is, to figure out the person's name! And it took another to find out he knew nothing about Kalasin!"

"You're here about Kalasin?" he whispered into her ear. She giggled.

He took her hand, and made her stand up.

"Which room is yours?"

"The…last one on the right! Aye, the right!" She passed him the key.

Once they reached Daine's rooms, Kaddar put Daine on the bed. He pitied her, she would have a nasty hangover the next day. She fell asleep immediately.

Kaddar knew Daine would _never_ get herself drunk. She had obviously talked to someone who said they knew something about her, but had lied. She had been tricked, since she was naïve.

Kaddar grabbed a blanket from the corner of the room, and fell asleep on the floor.

In the morning, Daine had some talking to do.

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A/N-A long chappie! Yay! But hopefully Daine's not _that _OOC; I tried to pass that by with Kaddar's thoughts at the end. Please don't complain about OOC-ness. Please review!


	18. Insults

A/N-104 reviews! Yay! OK, I have a question. Would you rather me update with one long chapter like once every three days, or one short chapter every or every other day? Doesn't matter to me.

Disclaimer-The disclaimers at the bottom of the page, it gives away slight spoilers.

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Daine had never been drunk before.

And when you've never been drunk before, and you've never had a hangover before, it wasn't a pretty sight in the morning. Then again, it was _never _a pretty sight, but at least those people knew what they had gotten themselves into.

She rolled over. Not a good idea…that hurt…her stomach hurt. She opened her eyes. _Why am I here?_ She thought.

She sat up, quickly.

_Gods no…_ she thought. She had the _worst _headache she'd ever had. Maybe standing up would help, so she did just that.

The very first thing she recognized was vertigo.

The room was tilting. So why wasn't she falling? Never mind, she _was_ falling. She hit the ground with a _bang_.

That woke Kaddar up, finally.

"Daine!" he shouted, as he saw the girl, unconscious. He scrambled out beneath the blankets.

He made his way over to her, and she was breathing shallow, but she was breathing. He rolled her into the recovery position.

So he sat on the bed, watching her, waiting for her to wake up.

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A soft knock at the door brought Lukiem out of his thoughts.

"Come in," he said, not bothering to be cheerful.

The doors opened, and in came Unikum, the man who was disguised as Kaddar. The spell had worn off. Both men were in the library of wherever they were. It was small, with only a few books. It suited their needs, however, with a long conference table, two plushy green chairs and a fireplace.

"What are you doing here?" Lukiem spat. "And why haven't you gotten a mage to re-apply the spell?"

He bowed, and stood up.

"We have a bit of a problem, Nobility." Lukiem had told all of his followers to address his as Nobility.

"A bit of a problem?"

"Aye. She's not eating her food!"

Lukiem's eyebrows went up.

"How long?"

"Two days."

Lukiem twiddled with his thumbs He would have to resort to the second plan.

"Send her to me. Now."

"Of course Nobility. Of course."

He left, and Lukiem was left with the silence he enjoyed so much.

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Kalasin had never been hungrier. She hadn't eaten in two days, but by now her senses were intact. She knew she was obviously being held captive, and Kaddar was giving her the food. She made no gesture to hide the fact that she wasn't eating her food.

The door creaked open, and Kaddar was revealed.

"Come with me," he growled.

Knowing he would simply resolve to force if she didn't come, Kalasin obeyed. He grabbed her right shoulder again, and she had to sidestep.

"Why do you grab me like that?" she asked. "So I won't have to see your awful face?"

Silence.

"Why are you tearing my broken soul apart?"

He said nothing. Kalasin was becoming more and more agitated.

"I'd like to know what makes up your heart. Deceit, betrayal, fraud, treachery, trickery. Does the list ever end?"

His grip tightened. Kalasin decided it was time for insults.

"You know, I'll never forget the day I met you-although I keep trying. Shock me-say something intelligent. You're as pretty as a picture, I'd love to hang you."

He walked faster, and it was becoming more difficult to walk.

"You must have a large brain, to hold all of that ignorance. Are you always an idiot, or just when I'm around? Brains aren't everything; in fact, they're nothing for you. Can I borrow your head for my rock garden? Hello, I'm a human being, what are you?" She spat it all out.

"Shut _up!_" He shouted. "Shut up _now_!"

"I will _not _shut up! If you torture me, isn't it only fair I do it to you?"

He didn't respond, and the rest of the walk was spent in silence. They arrived at some doors, and Kaddar stopped.

"Here," he said, and he threw her in.

She lost her balance, and fell to the ground.

"Why, _princess_," a voice said, "Do you require assistance?"

She looked up. It was Lukiem.

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"From you? Gods, no." She got to her feet. "Why am I here? In a library? And why am I _here_, in this weird building? What did I do wrong?"

Lukiem face wrinkled up.

"Why, if you had any more wrinkles you could be mistaken for a prune!" she prodded.

He wanted to slap her…but that would destroy the plan.

"Think as you will, princess. Come now, you must be hungry." He gave his arm over to a table, where stacks of meat, cheese, bread, water, fruit and everything she wished for was there.

"It's drugged."

"Would you believe that _I _would do such a deceitful thing?"

"Yes."

"Well it's not," he said. "Look, I'll eat it to. Princess," he added as an afterthought.

He sat down, selected a piece of bread and ate it.

"Aren't you hungry?"

Her stomach said yes, her brain said no. She went with her stomach.

She only ate things after Lukiem ate it. She still felt like she was in control of her body, and was grateful. She noted all of the food was Tortallan and plain, but it was better than just bread and water.

"So where am I?" she asked, mouth full of fruit.

"Oh, you're in Carthak. Underneath the palace, to be exact. Only a select few know about it, my followers. It was constructed recently, I had been expecting you."

Now she knew where she was. But realizing that she _could not _leave, her temper began to rise. Before, the drugs had taken away any realization of being captive. Now she was mad. She stood up, looked Lukiem in the eye, and said:

"I _command _you to let me go!"

He also stood up. They looked harshly at each other. Something caught Kalasin's eye. Was…Lukiem _crying_?"

"_Until you understand, there's nothing _to _command_!"

"What?"

"Do you realize why hate I hate Tortall?" he said, close to tears. It looked rather funny in Kalasin's perspective, a regal man about to cry.

"Of course not, no one does. This is why,"

He took a deep breath, and began:

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Disclaimer-Well, I took more quotes from _Runaway_, But all of the insults were taken from (www) (dot)findinsults(dot) (com). It won't let me type in website names, so I have to put it in parenthesis. And if you recognize it, it's not mine.

A/N-Yay! Another long one. I purposely left it off there; it's not a document manager problem, which still keep happening. The OOC-ness will hopefully be explained in the next chapter, at least, if they _are _OOC. Please review!


	19. Lukiem's Story

A/N-Lukiem's POV for the first bit, obviously. I'm not going to put in any quotation marks; you'll know when it switches back.

Disclaimer-The usual-I don't own the stuff you recognize.

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When I was twenty-three, I met a women, and what a women. I fell in love with her at first look. In just a month we got married and months later, our son was born.

Our son was perfect in every way possible. He had my eyes, clear blue. His hair was the color of the sun at high noon, and his skin as soft as the finest velvet. We named him Minkiu, after my wife's father.

Minkiu grew up quickly, to my dismay. He had a talent for finding himself in the middle of trouble, but always helped himself out of it.

Anyone who knew Minkiu always commented on his smile. It lit up the darkest places, and helped you find your way.

Finally, when he was old enough, he joined the army…at sixteen. Sixteen! Can you believe that? At sixteen, one should be having fun, doing the things they like! Instead, he devoted himself to discipline in the army life.

He had only been on duty for a month when something out of the ordinary happened. A group of Tortallan delegates were coming to Carthak, for peace talks. He was put on duty more often.

Not many days past when Minkiu found himself in the hallway, doing normal border patrol, when a massive sound happened. He and the other guards ran towards it. What they saw would change their lives: a female child with dinosaurs razed from the dead.

They didn't falter. One of the guards told me that Minkiu had shouted out: "We will defend our Emperor to the death!"

But the girl kept going. He was knocked down by one of the lizard-things.

And was killed.

The other guards ran for their lives, but not Minkiu. He would stay down…forever. My wife ran away from where we lived when she heard of Minkiu's death. I have no idea of where she lives now, or she's even alive.

And that is why I hate Tortall with every ounce of what my body is made up of. If they had never come here, my son would still be alive. My wife would still be here. Everything would be perfect.

But now it's not.

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Kalasin always thought that she had the short end of the stick.

She had felt that the world was crashing down on her when she had been sent away. That nothing had ever gone right, that she was unlucky.

Before coming to Carthak, Kalasin had not been rude, sarcastic or anything else. She had been shy, playful and kind. But she had to get 'revenge' on Carthak. If Carthak simply wasn't there, neither would she.

She had forgotten how privileged she was, to having a loving family, food on the table and a roof over her head. But Lukiem's story had brought her back to reality.

The real reality.

Lukiem had actually experienced some sort of tragedy while she had not. He had a reason to resent Tortall. Kalasin had no reason to resent Carthak.

"Oh," she said. "Oh."

Lukiem looked at her.

"So that is my story, princess. I hope you understand." All of a sudden, he returned back to his normal frame of mind. "Go back to your room. Now."

Although she had no idea where her room was, she still left. She had a feeling her food was no longer going to be drugged.

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Lukiem could _barely _contain his glee as the door closed. The second part of the plan was working. Although the story was true, and that's why he hates Tortall, Kalasin actually having pity on him was a bonus. He could easily turn this into a _new _plan.

He smiled. And when Lukiem smiled, all of his slaves knew that it wasn't a good sign.

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Daine's eyes opened slowly, but she shut them again. Waking up was the last thing on her mind.

Unfortunately for her however, waking her up was the very first thing on Kaddar's mind, who had seen her eyes open.

"Up," he said, not unkindly. Daine didn't move.

He positioned himself behind her, and said once again, "Up."

Nothing.

"Fine. I'll help you." He put his one of her hands on each of her shoulders, and pushed her up.

"Noooo," she complained.

"Yessss," said Kaddar.

She was now in a sitting position, her un-brushed hair dangling in front of her face.

"The room is spinning…" she said.

Kaddar walked over to the desk, where he retrieved a cup of tea, which he had gotten from the bar. The place with the best drinks also had to have the best hangover cure.

"This may help, although time is the best medicine by far. It will all be gone in about eight hours."

"Hours? Not fair…"

He chuckled, and passed her the cup. She just sat there with it.

"You're supposed to drink it," he reminded her.

"Righhhht." She took a drink, and spat it out. "This stuff tastes awful!"

"I know, but think about it. By the time you've finished it, you're eight hours will be up!" he said, disgustingly happy.

She took another sip, and barely managed to keep it down. She had to admit though; even a small sip helped her senses.

After another sip she realized that Kaddar was the Emperor.

"Kaddar! I mean, Highness! Nobilty! Emperor! Whatever you call yourself!"

He laughed. "Kaddar will be fine."

"I'm so sorry Emper-Kaddar. I can't believe I got drunk." She clutched her head. "And now a hangover."

"You should have seen _me _once. I had such a bad hangover that it took ten hours just to get rid of it! Those were the worst hours of my life, although my friends said it was 'a badge of honor'."

She laughed, but it hurt her head too much.

"Why am I here? No, why are _you _here?"

"You were drunk, and I brought you back here. I slept here, also, because I have a few questions to ask you."

"Can they wait?" she said. "I don't want to risk throwing up on you."

"They can wait," he said. He sat on the ground beside her.

"So why are you in Carthak?" he asked.

"That's a question! No questions."

"No questions? Fine. Well, the weather is nice today."

"You haven't been outside today."

"Then I guess we'll just have to sit here in silence."

Silence, then:

"Ask your questions."

Kaddar wanted to hug her. Finally, he could get some answers! But realizing just how bad Daine must feel right now…

"They'll wait."

She smiled, and mouthed "Thanks."

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A/N-I didn't know where to cut it off, so I did it there. Please review!


	20. Of Eyebrows and Boredom

A/N-If its a little OOC, blame sleep deprivation. Or me. I prefer the former. Anyways, here's chappie 20!

Disclaimer-This is the 20th disclaimer. Just put all of the other disclaimers here, since I really don't want to type it out. But then again, typing this is a lot longer than a regular disclaimer. Meh. But I guess by now you must be sick of me and just want the story. Well, hopefully not _sick _of me, I don't think I'm _that_ annoying. But here's the chappie.

Actually, before the chapter, I would like to thanks the following people:

**Dark.Angel.of.Tortal-007**

**Lela-of-Bast**

**Daine's Twin**

**Crazy Cat Lady No.1**

**Daine's daughter**

**meganidge**

**Erytha**

**Ariana**

**Annalisa**

**Spy in Training**

**Gemm**

**rouge fairy**

**Misty the Ghost**

**Gemm**

**Rauros Falls**

**Soul of Power ROCKS OUT LOUD**

**Acanthophis**

**Misled Nymph**

**Go your own way**

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**lemsterrette**

**Crimson Queen**

**Citizen Of Fantasy At Heart**

**peninhand9**

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**Animals are my LIFE**

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YOU GUYS ROCK! I can't tell you how much I appreciate every single review that you submit.

And you're probably wondering about the next chapter, so here it is: (again!)

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Eight hours and two terrible tasting drinks later, Daine was sober enough to be interrogated. She sat on the bed, Kaddar on the chair.

"So," he began, "Why are you in Carthak?"

She struggled for a suitable lie.

"To…pick up a souvenir."

He rolled his eyes. "You are the absolute _worst _liar I have ever met."

She sighed. "If you really want to know, I'm here because some of the sailors were getting rowdy in nearby bars, and I was sent along to watch over them."

"Gods, you should take lying lessons. Your left eyebrow goes up when you lie. You said, under the influence of alcohol, that you were looking for Kalasin. Is that the truth?"

"No…"

"So you were looking for Kalasin. So am I."

She jumped up.

"What! I am _not _looking for Kalasin!"

"Eyebrow," he replied coolly.

Daine was seriously considering burning off her eyebrow. Her orders were to tell _no one _of the Kalasin problem.

"You've been sent," he continued, "to find Kalasin. I have no idea of how you know she is missing, but we need to work together." He stood up. "I know who took her. The bastard's name is Lukiem, my royal advisor."

Her _right _eyebrow went up. "So I take it you don't like this Lukiem person."

"That's an understatement. I mean, I hardly knew her! And when I did talk to her, it went over horribly! I'm _years_ older than her! But I have to find her."

"Why," said Daine, hoping to get him to say the magic three words.

"I don't know."

"Yes you do."

"_Shut up_! I don't know!"

Daine hadn't expected that, until:

"I do know! But I don't want to admit it!" He _slammed _his fist against the chair. "I'll let you know that I would never tell anyone else this. But do you, really, really want to know! Here it is: I love her! Dang it, Daine, I love her. I barely know her, but I love her! Why? I don't know. I really, really don't know. But I do. I love her. I met her for five minutes, but I'm already in love with her, and if I knew why, I'd tell you. _Are you happy now?_"

"Surprisingly so."

They both said nothing. Then Daine's soft whisper said:

"Next question."

He smiled.

"Why do you know about her?"

"Secret message."

"Well, I'm impressed," he commented. "So, what are we going to do?"

"I don't know, I was hoping you knew."

He scratched his head.

"Well, I have to get you into the palace, but we also can't let the public find out about Kalasin. If they did, who knows what would happen."

And then he looked at Daine in a peculiar way.

"You know, Kalasin is tall for her age, and she hasn't been out in public."

"What are you suggesting?"

"How would you like to become a temporary princess?"

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Kalasin sat in her rooms, bored. There was _nothing _to do, so she sang softly to herself. Once her voice was horse, she went over various plays in her head. When the plays were over, she decided to think over ways to get out of here. She could attack Kaddar when he came and gave her food, but he was much stronger than herself. If she somehow managed to get past him, she would have to find a way out of here.

She could dig herself out of the room, although she quickly shot that one down. It was plain stupid. Maybe she could simply talk to Kaddar…

The door opened, and not surprisingly reveled Kaddar with bread and water. Kalasin was about to talk to him, maybe how he might be able to get her out of this weird place, but he simply slammed the door in her face.

_That wasn't very nice of him!_ She thought, amused at the fact that the sentence she had just thought didn't contain any insults or swearing.

She went back to her thoughts of getting out of the room.

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A/N-It's short, I know. Please review!


	21. Temporary Princess

A/N-Thanks for ze reviews. They make happy, and when I'm happy, I post more chappies! It's a win-win situation! Well, as long as you review -**winkwinknudgenudge-**.

Disclaimer-At the bottom again.

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"What!" shouted Daine, standing up. "A temporary princess? But that's impossible!"

"Not impossible," remarked Kaddar. "Nothing's impossible."

"Nothing's impossible? Then why don't you go defeat Scanra with your pudding?"

Kaddar suddenly had a strange image of him running wild in the streets of Scrana killing everyone with his pudding.

"Well, that's off-topic. Besides, they could choke on it!"

"But how are you going to make _me _look like Kally?"

"Kally?"

"Her friends call her that."

"I see. But the latest fashion at the university is looking like someone you're not, so we should have no trouble, really."

No one said anything, but some drunks yelling in the common room snapped them back to reality.

"Is there any other way?" she asked.

"No."

"I'll do it."

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"Finished!" remarked the university student. "And not to shabby, either."

"Can I see?" Daine asked. She and Kaddar (who was heavily disguised) had been in the streets of Carthak, looking for a place to style hair and other things. They had found this salon, and the only people working there were university students, which was lucky. They probably wouldn't remember her, due to the ever-increasing exams.

The student turned the chair around, and Daine gasped when she saw her reflection in a looking-glass. The hair had been the last thing on the Daine-becomes-Kalasin project.

Daine did not meet Daine in the looking-glass, but Daine met Kalasin. Her eyes had been spelled to a coal-blue, much different than her own. Her hair had been straightened and dyed to a midnight black. Even her nails were polished. But the most uncomfortable part was easily the binding on her chest, which was highly uncomfortable. But you could barely tell that it was Daine. You either had to have known Daine or Kalasin for a long time before you could even begin to guess who they were.

Kaddar applauded at the sight of her. She blushed and bowed her head. They quickly paid, and went out of the shop.

"Well then," she commented.

He looked at her, and said, "You're too tall."

"I'm five years older!"

"True. But look, you're wearing boots and breaches. Wear skirts and flat-heeled shoes. Whenever talking with someone, just kneel a little bit. If you're wearing skirts, they won't even notice."

Daine sighed.

"But what if the public sees me up close? Then when the _real_ Kalasin comes back, they won't know it's her!"

He struggled for words.

"Well, we can't let them see you up close now, can we? Besides, this is mainly for getting you into the palace. I've learned over the years that guards quickly forget things, so we should be fine."

"Should?"

"Should."

"Well, this will be interesting."

He laughed.

"Very interesting."

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"Halt!" called a guard. "Who goes there?"

Kaddar smiled.

"'Tis I, the Emperor! The one who you _guard_ and protect with your soul! The one who is the closest in your hearts. For my country, my love is a fever, longing still for that which longer nurseth the disease.

In faith, I do not love thee with mine eyes, for they in thee a thousand errors note; but 'tis my heart that loves what they despise; who in despite of view is pleas'd to dote."

The guard's exchanges glances but let them both through.

"Did you just recite poetry?" Daine asked, as they passed through the massive doorway.

"Why yes I did. It's a code that let's anyone pass. Well, the code is 'the one who you guard and protect your soul'. But it's no fun. I decided to spice it up a bit. We need more fun nowadays."

When they reached the next set of doors, Kaddar recited a different bit of poetry, but he obviously said the right thing as they let them both through. Luckily, none of the guards asked about Daine. If you were with the Emperor, they decided you were harmless.

After Kaddar had recited something about 'But never taxe'd for speech,' they made it through into the massive bedroom. He sighed, and sat on the bed.

"What now?" he said.

"Well," said Daine. "We have to find Kalasin, give her the proper title of 'Empress', and something tells me you would like to have a nice little chat with this Lukiem."

"Right," he agreed. "But, we also have to give Kalasin's introduction at court, which is…tomorrow."

"_Tomorrow_!" she shouted. "But we can't do it! Postpone it! Highness," she added, forgetting who she was talking to.

"We have to! Nobles from all around are coming for her introduction. You'll just have to do it. Just stay away from the nobles who live close by, because they might come here more often afterwards. Don't say much, your voices are different."

"Can't you just put a spell on it?"

"Well, of course I can, but for the sake of remembering who you are you might want to keep your own voice!"

She shook her head.

"We have to do this as thoroughly as possible. If we let one thing slip, it could be chaos when Kalasin returns."

"How do you know she'll be returning, then?" she asked. He seemed confident that she would be back.

"I don't, but I'm hoping. I really don't want to marry that Copper Isles princess."

Daine started walking around the room, looking at various objects.

"This is…a big room. Is that a _bath_?" she exclaimed. He nodded.

"Wow. So, what do I have to do for this introduction?" she asked.

"Well," he began…

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A knock on the door made Kalasin nearly jump out of her own skin. Kaddar normally just opened the door.

"Come in," she said, not bothering to get up. To her surprise, it was Lukiem.

"Princess," he said, bowing. "How lovely it is to see you again."

She stood up, and growled, "What do you want?"

She felt immediately bad however, as the rush of Lukiem's story came back into her head.

"Just to talk, princess. How do you find your quarters?" He began fingering the quill on the desk. "Are they suitable?"

"I…thank you. Yes, they are. Although I am rather bored."

He smiled.

"I shall send for some books. Whatever you want, just ask Kaddar. He will more than happy to help you."

_Why is he so nice, all of a sudden?_ She wondered, than nodded.

He got up and left. Soon after, 'Kaddar' came in, and bowed low.

"I…,"he mumbled "am at your service."

"Thank you," she said coldly. "I would like to get out of here."

"I apologize," he said, grating his teeth together, "but that is the one thing I cannot provide."

"Then books," she said, turning around. "You _are _dismissed."

He left.

It had totally escaped Kalasin's mind that Kaddar was the Emperor, and she could not give orders to him.

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Unikum, the person disguised as Kaddar, was fed up, beyond belief. Every single day he went to feed a girl barely out of the child years, and he was not getting paid. Well, to put it in Lukiem's words: 'Your payment is your head.'

But now _this_. He was to be a _slave_ to this girl. He would not stand for this. It was wrong what they were doing, he had no reason to hate Tortall. He would give himself in to Kaddar. Hopefully he would be spared his head, and given a pardon for revealing Lukiem's plan. He grinned; it always felt better to be on the good side. The side _not _for kidnapping and war.

_War_, he thought. _What is it good for?_

_Absolutely nothing!_ Another voice said.

He grinned again, and began walking to Kaddar's quarters, where he would most certainly be.

It felt good.

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A/N-I'm having a really hard time cutting it off lately, but hey. Okay…first of all, being such a geek as I am :D:D:D:D I put a lot of references in here. There's a bunch to Star Trek :D:D:D:D:D and to the song _War_. You know: _War! What is it good for! Absolutely nothing! Say it again!_ Hehehehe and there's Shakespeare in here, with Kaddar. That was taken, almost word-for-word from a Star Trek script, where a character is reciting Shakespeare. So I just Googled (I love that word!) it, found it and copied it. WOW I'm such a geek. And proud. :D So, please review:D (I think I'm obsessed with these things:D) :) Once again, please review, and pardon my momentarily bout of insanity!

Disclaimer-No matter how many hours (Yes I think I spent hours on this one) I put into this, the characters and settings you recognize aren't mine.

Also…the lyrics for _War!_ Aren't mine, I copied the poetry from Star Trek which also isn't mine and Google isn't mine.

Please, please review! Please?


	22. Author's Note

A/N-I agree with **Soul of Power ROCKS OUT LOUD**. I'm putting this on a temporary hiatus, due to the fact that the last chapter I posted was rubbish. I'll update in a few days or weeks, unless I get a bunch of plot idea from my reviewers. See you then!


	23. Preparing for the Introduction

A/N**-sigh-** I don't get a single day off of writing before another evil plot bunny pops into my head, one that I like a heckofalot more than my other plot that I had originally planned. My thanks go to: **Erytha**, **HappeeGoLuckee**, **Citizen Of Fantasy At Heart **and **Confusedknight**. I combined all of their plot ideas, and came up with the following.

Disclaimer- I'm not Tamora Pierce, aka the nouns you recognize aren't mine.

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Varice Kingsford had always liked tall men.

Something about how their faces were always hidden by the moonlight and the sun casting long shadows onto their bodies was always appealing to her.

The first man she had ever fallen in love with was Arra-Numair Salmaĺin. Unfortunately, he left Carthak and became involved with that other girl, Daine.

Varice probably would have gone after Lindhall Reed, but he was too old, and had gone to Tortall to teach at the university.

But Kaddar. She sighed. He was a man's man. Standing straight, making orders always doing the right things. She wanted him. Bad.

But the only problem was that he was the Emperor, and you had to be _royalty _to marry him. And then there was what's-her-name from Tortall, the soon-to-be Empress.

But does one's position, status and another woman stand in the way of true love? _Of course not_, she thought.

She sat on her bed, twiddling with the fine purple lace on the edges of her yellow-colored robe. It was expensive, the robe, but lately she had been fiddling with the edges of the lace so much that it was starting to get seriously frayed.

She took a deep breath, and flicked her long, blond hair over her shoulders, so it was resting on her back. She decided to tell Kaddar about her feelings for him.

She stood up, realizing that this may be the last time she slept in her own quarters. The room she was in was quite nice, but nothing compared to other rooms. It was finely furnished; it was complete with a privy, desk, soft, comfy chairs, a springy bed, closet and a bookshelf. But she could have so much more if she were the Empress.

Putting the fact that Kalasin was to marry Kaddar in the back of her head, she quietly exited the room.

He would most likely be in his quarters at this time of day, so she decided to begin her search there.

Her soft, flat-heeled purple slippers made quiet steps as she made her way through the palace walls. Through the arrow slits she could tell the sun was beginning to set. She passed tapestries and beautiful paintings, but she didn't give them a second thought. Kaddar was the only thing she currently cared for.

She turned a corner and, to her surprise, Kaddar was there, making his way to his rooms.

"Nobility!" she called, not wanted to offend him by calling him his first name.

He turned around, shock plastered on his face.

"I'm not-" he began, but she cut him off by throwing herself into his arms.

"Kaddar," she cried, literally. "I have something I need to tell you!"

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Unikum was of course, quite surprised at this woman thrusting herself into his arms. It was quite nice, actually.

"And what is that?" he said gently, in response to her question.

She looked up into his deep, dark eyes.

"I'm in love with you."

Yes, Unikum was quite surprised.

"You should know something about me," he began.

"Not now!" she said, putting a delicate finger on his lips. "Later."

Was that…_seductiveness _he heard in her voice? His eyes popped open extremely wide at this discovery.

"Do you love me?" she said, her right hand playing with the hair at the back of his neck, her left hand on his chest.

Unikum had a choice to make, fast. Kaddar-the real one-could find out about Kalasin later. Unikum was finally going to do something for himself.

"Yes," he said.

Unikum grabbed the small of her back with his left hand, beneath her shoulder blade with his right, and pulled her in for a kiss that bent extremely low.

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"Did you catch all of that?" Kaddar asked, not unkindly.

"I think so..." Daine slowly said. "I cannot address the nobles first, they must address me, I cannot leave the room for any purposes, I cannot put my elbows on the table, eating with my hands is considered the utmost rudeness, I cannot-"

"I think you understand the basics," Kaddar said. "But Kalasin's introduction is extremely important!"

Daine nodded. "I understand."

They sat there on the bed for a moment, only listening to the birds chirping happily outside.

"Well," Kaddar said, clapping his hands together. "I'll be gone when you wake up. I'll send for someone to help you get ready for the introduction."

She yawned. "That's fine for me, but I'm going to bed now."

Once both Kaddar and Daine had changed (Daine had borrowed some of Kalasin's night-things), they both hopped into the massive bed. There wasn't any 'embarrassment' to Daine's surprise. Both of them fell asleep easily.

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**-2 days earlier-**

"Thayet," Numair said. "Why have you called me here?"

The woman, seated at the long conference table, sighed. It was the same rooms as before, the one where Daine had been chosen to be sent into Carthak.

"Sit down," she said. He obeyed.

"Numair," Thayet started, "I feel almost _nervous _about DaineIf Kalasin has gone missing, so could she!"

Numair looked down onto his breeches.

"I know what you're going to ask me," he said. "You want be to go to Carthak, to check up on Daine."

Thayet nodded, blushing. "You know me to well."

**-Present Time-**

Numair recalled that day, only forty-eight hours ago, with a sigh. Because of that day, he was here now.

He had gotten onto one of the few ships still trading silk between Carthak and Tortall. It wasn't the best of ships, or the best of captains, but it was a ship. They had made fair time.

He looked around the room in disgust, as they were extremely dirty. He had found a room at an inn called _The Pretty Lass_, since he doubted anyone would remember him.

Before however, he had questioned some of the more sober people in the bar. It turned out there was to be an introduction at court for the new princess tomorrow at the palace. That didn't make sense, as Kalasin had been kidnapped, so he decided to investigate it tomorrow.

But right now he had nothing to do, so he curled up beneath the woolen, scratchy covers and fell into a surprisingly deep sleep.

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A/N-I know it's short (Sorry **Soul of Power ROCKS OUT LOUD**) but I'm playing around with a new plot. If you don't like it, than –**BAM-** out the window it goes. And I really have to get better at my promises, don't you think? I say it's going on hold…and the next day I update. I'm such a hypocrite, but I guess that's a good thing in my case. Tell me if I updated too fast, if it's unbelievably bad or if it's wickedly awesome. Please review and tell me how you like the plot!


	24. The Spa and Sneaking in

A/N-Sorry about the small delay, there's a festival going on in my city, and you simply _have _to go. But once again, thanks to my reviewers! Wow, there's so many…just look up at that big number at the top of the screen there…

Disclaimer-The nouns you recognize don't belong to me.

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Daine woke up from her deep slumber when the morning rays of sunshine sprang across her face. She slowly opened her eyes, quickly remembering that today was the day that she, or more like Kalasin, had to be introduced at court.

She turned over, and was not surprised that Kaddar wasn't there. Didn't he say that he was going to send someone to help her 'get ready' or something?

She had to nearly shove herself upright. The bed was the nicest thing she had ever slept on, with silk sheets and…no, she couldn't think about the bed, or else she would fall right back asleep. She rubbed her eyes and yawned.

Daine slid herself out of the bed, and her feet made a quiet _thunk _as they hit the floor. She had absolutely no idea of what to wear, so she just stayed in the nightgown of Kalasin's. She spent the next few minutes brushing her hair, and was surprised at how easily the brush moved through her hair. Usually with her regular hair it was more like attacking her hair than brushing it.

As soon as she put down the brush, happy with her work, a timid knock sounded at the door.

"Come in!" Daine called, guessing it would be the person designated to help her.

In walked the slave, once again without a top on.

Daine put her face into the palm of her hand. Kaddar had some serious explaining to do.

Without looking at the slave, Daine went to Kalasin's bags, where she drew out another fine tunic and a skirt. The tunic was made of red velvet, although the skirt of red silk. It was embroiled with fine designs.

"Take them," the older girl said, handing the garments to the slave.

"No-nobility! I cann-not take such fi-fine garments!" The slave was aware that she had had this conversation only weeks ago.

"I'm sorry, but I order you to."

The slave took the garments and slid them over her frail body. Her hands were shaking. When she finished, Daine took a step back to admire what the clothes did.

The girl had no hair, although it didn't diminish the effect at all. The clothes framed her frail body, creating a gentle look for the girl. The reds accented her blue eyes and strong nose.

Daine smiled. Not bad, not bad at all.

"So I take it you are here to help me?" Daine said. The slave nodded.

"Ple-please fo-follow me, Nobility."

Of course it wasn't really following, as Daine had to lead the way as the slave insisted she walk behind, but it was nice to stretch her legs.

They hadn't been walking through the gray hallways for long. On the second floor, the slave timidly said to stop outside of double doors, with one guard protecting it. At the sight of Kalasin, the guard nodded, banged his staff three times, grabbed one of the delicate handles and opened it. She and the slave walked through.

"Don't announce me," she said to the guard. She wanted to attract as least attention as possible.

Daine was slightly surprised. It was like the public baths in Tortall. There was one massive bath, bigger than the one in her room, and another small one nearby. Steam was rising up from both of them. Women, obviously royal, were situated in the baths or nearby chairs, probably talking, Daine decided, about how the latest woman at court was causing a scandal. She noticed adjoining rooms, but she couldn't see into them due to the steam.

'Is this a spa?" Daine asked.

"Ye-yes Nobility. It is-is where any wo-woman of no-noble birth go before at-attending a-a royal party or-or ball."

Her stomach growel, and before anything else she made her way over to a glass table that had strawberries and other fruits on it.

Once she had consumed enough fruit to last for a while, she had no idea of what to do first. She asked the slave.

"It-it is customary to bathe firs-first, Nobility."

After bathing, she had a mud bath, which was quite uncomfortable. She then realized that she would have to have her nails and hair done, which meant having the other woman here know about her.

"Now or never," she said to herself. She went up to the manicurist, who obviously recognized her. The manicurist screeched loudly.

"Princess! Princess! What an honor it _is _to have you here!"

The screech had attracted all of the other patrons, who gathered around. They muttered whispers "The new Empress?" and "Is it really her?"

All of a sudden, everyone wanted a manicure to sit beside or near the princess.

The original manicurist was obviously overjoyed at the prospect of having the princess here.

"Oh what will I tell my family, Nobility? That I touched the princess? My name –if you care to hear it-is Sanika, Nobility."

Daine spent the next _hour _listening to Sanika's voice, talking about the latest fashions and trends. Sometimes other woman nearby would talk with her for moments. It was strange, how these woman, fifteen or twenty years her senior, treated her above themselves.

The room she was in was all pink. Every single thing. From the walls, floor, chairs, utensils _everything _was pink. Poor Daine wanted to vomit.

When that was finished, Daine wanted to let out a sigh of enjoyment that it was over. She wasn't one to be coddled over.

"Hair!" shrieked Sanika's sickenly-high voice called.

She was caught in a movement of chaos. All of the patrons getting manicures suddenly wanted their hair styled. Sanika guided her into another room, where she sat Daine down into a chair that was extremely comfortable.

This room, on the contrary, was all green. It wasn't as bright as the other room, to Daine's relief. The other chairs quickly filled up with other woman, who immediately tried to make small talk with her. At that moment, all Daine wanted was to be in the stables.

The hairdressers started on their hair. The hairdressers matched the room, as their clothes were all green. Luckily for Daine, the hairdresser was not like Sanika. She put all of her effort into Daine's hair.

"Now," the hairdresser said, "for the beads."

"Beads?" asked Daine. She didn't like the sound of that.

"Oh of course. You take all of your hair and string beads into it. It is quite an astonishing effect in the end."

_If I put beads into my hair_, Daine thought,_ than they will accept the real Kalasin when she comes back, as it will change the way I look. _

"Sure," she said.

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When the hairdresser finally allowed Daine to see her reflection, she gasped. It looked almost not bad. The beads were the Carthaki reds and yellows, and framed her face nicely. All of the other woman, who had finished long ago, came into her sight as they exclaimed how beautiful it looked.

"But what about a dress?" one of the woman called out.

A quiet voice said, "Th-the Emperor has-as insisted she wear this."

It was the slave. Daine hadn't noticed her leaving, but had come back with a dress. The girl held it by the shoulders for everyone to see.

It was a soft yellow pastel color. It had tight fitting sleeves up until the elbow, where it flared outwards. The bodice looked tight fitting, with an even lighter yellow lace around it. The skirt billowed out from the bodice like sunrays. All in all, it was like a little piece of the sun had fallen from the sky, and a tailor had picked it up and made this.

The entire room started applauding, whilst Daine simply blushed at all of tthis attention to only her.

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Fortunately, Numair had brought a suit with him to Carthak. He normally would never have brought it, but Thayet had made him.

He looked himself over in the looking glass. It was a sharp image in the glass, one that nearly shouted _don't mess with me_.

Living in Carthak for a number of years, he knew his way around. He easily made his way to the palace through the dark and cramped main streets. Numerous times he was almost pock-picketed, but had caught all of the thieves. He passed them a coin and sent them on their way with a bemused look.

Finally, he arrived at the palace. From his point of view, it was massive: stretching out in three different directions, with five floors. Towers and observatories were abundant, with the exception of the west wing, which was simply not there.

He noticed a trail of nobles heading to the main gate. They were on the finest steeds, and had only the finest clothes. Every thing about them was fine. Every person was stopped, checked on the list and cleared.

He had to figure a way in. He couldn't change form-his clothes would be gone, and he could only imagine the look on the nobles faces as he walked in naked. He decided for an illusion spell.

Making himself invisible, he waited beside a lord, who was just at the gate now. When the gates opened for him and his wife, Numair sneaked in, un-noticed. He could only stay this way momentarily; it cost a lot of magic to stay this way.

But for now, he was safe.

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A/N-Not my favorite chapter, but it's one of those necessary chapters that you need but don't want. I like the detail, though. I've spell-checked this, although something may have been missed. Well, please review. And be nice. Please? At least I updated. The next chapter will be a good one, I hope.


	25. Woman in a Red Dress

A/N-"Oops"

You know, that is like the _last _thing you want to hear when the roofers are re-doing your roof. So I'm just standing there, and all of a sudden I hear "Oops." Then, a chunk of ceiling falls through our now-open skylight. O.o

But the roofers are hot. That makes up for some of it. :D

Disclaimer-I've really got to come up with something more original. The things you recognize aren't mine.

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Numair crept through the dark shadows of the hall, praying no one would see him. Luck was with him, as he only encountered a handful of guards, who he eluded easily. At this time, he called upon his memory of the palace to go through the ways that were not used as much as other hallways.

The walls were made of a black stone, which helped him blend in with his surroundings. He slowly turned a corner, and his heart nearly stopped when he saw what was going on.

He was in one of the main hallways, and guards were everywhere. To his left were gigantic double-doors, which were elegantly carved with intricate designs. Two guards, one at each side, were standing post. They had shining helmets, and heavy battle staffs. Nobles, Numair assumed by their clothing, were going into wherever the doors led to. They were laughing and smiling, so he assumed that they were doing something 'fun', per se.

Since this was obviously where he should start his search, he decided to blend in with the crowd and go into this room.

He straightened his suit, stood up taller, brushed some stray dirt from his shoulder and walked through the doors.

His eyes hurt from the sudden burst of color.

The walls were an orange-yellow, and the floor made of wood that Numair didn't recognize, although it was a bright yellow. There were four balconies leading out from the wall, where one could look out into the gardens below. Looking up slightly, he noticed that the roof was glass, so one could look up to the sky.

Large amounts of couples were dancing to a pleasant tune, full of flutes and harps. While the men's suits were the regular black, the women's dresses were all of the colors of the rainbow. It was a dazzling effect.

He had come into the room opposite the balconies. To his left was a massive staircase, one used for introducing nobles. To his right however, was the orchestra. It had maybe one hundred odd members, both male and female.

Something caught his eye, _above _the orchestra, to his surprise. It was a balcony, with two people situated on thrones.

He looked at the taller throne, with what looked like a sunburst coming out from the top of it. Seated on it was Kaddar.

Numair could barely contain his joy at seeing someone he knew, although the feeling of joy was quickly replaced with one of hatred. He had remembered how much he despised Kaddar, for courting Daine.

He looked at the next throne, and adrenaline suddenly rushed through his veins.

It was Kalasin.

She was dressed in a yellow dress, which suited her nicely. Her hair was in beads, and she looked almost bored.

Numair wanted to scream out for her, but that would not be the wisest action, he decided. He would have to wait for her to come down from the balcony…wherever the exit was.

A tap on the shoulder brought his gaze to a young woman next to him. She was quite…busty. She had her shoulders back and her head up, which only accented the curves. Numair felt a blush come onto his cheeks.

She was in a reveling red dress that was tight fitting. Her long, blond hair fell past her shoulders. She gave him a seductive look.

"Would you care to dance?" she asked. Her voice was full of…lust.

"Well, you see, I really shouldn't be-"

"I'll take that as a yes," she said. She took his hand and led her onto the dance floor.

She was holding him extremely close to him. Or to be more exact, she was holding him closer to her chest.

"So, um…" Numair began, discomforted by this strange woman.

"You're in love with me, aren't you?" she said, her hand massaging his neck.

"Actually, do you know of anyone named Kalasin? Or Daine, for that matter?"

She visibly stiffened.

"Is there another woman in your life? Have you been an un-faithful man to me?" she cried.

Numair noticed he was drawing attention to both of them.

"I've just met you!"

"But do you love me?"

"No!"

She drew back from him.

"How _dare _you say that, you _bastard_!" She slapped him. Hard.

She ran away from him. _That…was…interesting_. Numair thought.

Unknown to him however, he had caught the attention of two nobles atop the balcony.

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A/N-This was, by far, the hardest chapter I've ever written. I desperately hope I put in enough detail for it to make sense…does it? I re-wrote this three times.

Sorry about the wait. But school starts tomorrow **–panics-** and I was seriously stuck on this story. My apologies.

Also, sorry about the length. I'm currently panicking about school, even though I was tied for valedictorian in my class (maybe the grade, dunno) last year. So I am terribly sorry, but I'm in need of sympathy. :D

I hope you like it! Look at all those pretty reviews! Please review!


	26. Wildest Dreams

A/N-Well, school's back. Oh well, life goes on. I kind of disappeared from fanfiction for a bit there, I've caught a cold and all of a sudden my teachers have decided to throw assignments on me. Meh. This chapter took me awhile, as I didn't know how to dig myself out of my plot hole. But I think I've got in now. :)

Disclaimer-If you really, really want a disclaimer, just e-mail me.

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Lukiem was nervous.

It was just that good help was so hard to come by! Unikum, Lukiem knew, was getting restless. He wanted payment, and he wanted it soon. If Lukiem didn't do something quickly, Unikum might quit being fake Kaddar, and blow the plan.

And quite the plan it was.

He wanted Tortall gone. The whole country, not just the monarchs. For what the country did to him, he wanted it gone.

Once Tortall considered Kalasin dead, he knew Tortall would rally all of its allies for war. But once they were about to march the army into Carthak for total war, Kalasin would mysteriously appear in Corus.

The nearby countries would be furious for calling upon their armies and supplies. Carthak will then say how Tortall wanted Carthak obliterated for no good reason. Of course they would agree, and Tortall would become part of the winning country's land.

But Unikum could ruin all of that by telling the plan to anyone. Anyone at all.

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The only time Unikum had ever seen a woman naked was when he was five and had accidentally walked into his mother's room.

But this was different, to say the least.

Apparently Varice found him quite attractable. Very, very attractable.

He realized this time would most likely never come again. When he was not disguised as Kaddar, he had a long, gangly nose and dark straw-like hair. So he decided to indulge, this one time.

In Varice's quarters, she slipped off her silk robe.

Unikum's eyes went as wide as plates.

She _strutted _forwards, her tongue licking around her lips. Unikum grinned like a young boy being told he could have whatever he wanted in a candy shop.

She put a delicate finger on his nose, saying, "I love you…"

He was about to respond with an "I love you to," when her piercing scream nearly blew him away.

"What?" he asked, although immediately recognized the problem. That was his own voice. The spell had worn off.

"Oh," he said.

"_Oh?_" she screeched. "Who in the name of the Graveyard Hagare _you?" _She ran over to her robe and quickly shoved it over her body. She wrapped it tight against her skin and held it right below her neck. She shouted harsh curses.

"Get out!" she yelled again. "Where's Kaddar?"

"Please, let me explain!"

"_Kaddar?" _she screamed. "Where is he?"

"Not here! I'm him! No-that's not right, I never was him, I just looked like him! Please, let me explain!"

"What?" she said. This was all very, very confusing. Kaddar had suddenly morphed into this man claiming to be someone else. She put her blond hair behind her back. "I don't understand!"

"Sit down," he said calmly. He figured he would tell her his story.

Varice's anger turned into fright. But seeing as how he was un-armed (and un-clothed) she figured he couldn't be _that _dangerous. She knew some defensive skills, and if he wanted to rape her he already had his chance.

"It's a long story," he said again. "It might take awhile."

"As long as you tell me where Kaddar went, I'm listening," she said softly.

And he told her everything.

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Among all of the Carthaki-style dresses and suits, the one Tortallan suit stood out among all of the vibrant colors of everything else, and it caught Daine's eye. She was high above it in the balcony, where she could see everything. To her left was Kaddar, in all his regal glory, although Daine personally thought that the extensive eye makeup was a little much.

She had to squint to see him properly. _Why would a Tortallan be here? I thought I was the only one,_ she thought.

She watched him for the next minutes. She laughed silently to herself when she saw him get slapped by a woman in a red dress. At certain times she purposely looked away from him, as she knew that sometimes instinct could kick in and he would realize he was being watched. She decided it was nothing.

Something dawned on her.She leaned over slightly to Kaddar, and whispered, "If this is my court introduction party, shouldn't I be down there, dancing with you or something?"

He shuffled around in his seat.

"Well, yes," he said. He brushed back a stray piece of hair that had escaped all of the elaborate gels. "Though there's no rule saying you must, usually one does. I doubt you want to dance, so I think we can break with tradition."

"I don't want everyone thinking Kalasin is a shy girl of thirteen who can't dance! We have to! And besides," she added, "my legs are falling asleep!"

Kaddar grinned. "Fine with me. I guess it would do some good, to let everyone know Kalasin's not too shy to dance."

He turned around to the two guards, (who were complete with weapons,) and he asked for one of them to ask for a herald. The guard one the right nodded and the remaining one took up position in the middle of the balcony.

While waiting for the herald, Kaddar asked "Can you dance?"

She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "I'm a fast learner."

"You've never danced?"

"Yes I have! Just not often. I'll pick it up fast!" _I hope_, she added.

Before he could respond with a furry of questions, a herald appeared over his left shoulder.

"What is it you wish of me, Nobility?"

Kaddar explained what he wanted, and the herald nodded. At the back of the balcony was a doorway, covered by a soft red fabric. He pulled it aside. Behind it was a hallway, which if followed, eventually led back to the massive staircase Daine had descended earlier.

He allowed Daine to go through first. She nodded politely, aware that the guards and herald were watching intently. Maybe Kalasin could live with people looking at her constantly, though it annoyed Daine.

The hallway was regular stone, although it held beautiful portraits and tapestries. Daine's footsteps echoed back at her as she stepped quietly through the hall.

Kaddar caught up with her. "Are you nervous?"

"Yes," she admitted. "I think I'll survive, however."

He grinned. "Well, here we are," he said when they saw the exit. It was the same kind of fabric covering the doorway. Daine knew that once that the current piece of music was done, the herald would call out, announcing them. She stepped through the doorway, her heart pounding within her chest. Kaddar followed her.

She was at the top of the staircase, a bit to the side. Guards were posted everywhere. From her point of view, she could see the entire dance floor and orchestra.

Kaddar grabbed her arm. "It's ending soon," he commented, and gently pulled her towards the exact center of the staircase.

Waiting for the music to end, Daine took in everything. The sights, the sounds, the smells…everything. At that time, she remembered her past.

She was Sarra's bastard. No one had expected her to amount to anything. Maybe give birth to a dozen bastard babies, but nothing else. _That shows them,_ she thought. _If you put your mind to it, you can achieve your wildest dreams. Look where I am now!_

Obviously she had been thinking for longer than she thought, because all of a sudden Kaddar was pulling lightly on her elbow whispering, "Come on!"

She hadn't even heard the herald announce them. Putting on a fake smile, she descended the staircase with what she hoped was style and grace. Only when they reached the bottom of the staircase did she truly relax and no longer have to worry about tripping on her face.

And that was when her eyes settled onto someone else's eyes over Kaddar's right shoulder. It took all of Daine's willpower not to gasp out loud at who she saw.

It was Numair.

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A/N-Written after stuffing my face with chocolate…literally. I was at a BBQ with a friend and we attacked the dessert table. Yum. So anyways, finally, a non-filler chapter. So anyways, I have a question for anyone reading this. How many people have their ears pierced? I don't, and I don't want them, either. But I just want to know how many people do and don't have their ears pierced.

Please review!


	27. To Thine Own Self Be True

Yet here, Laertes! Aboard, aboard for shame!

The wind sits in the shoulder of your sail,

And you are stay'd for.

There ... my blessing with thee!

And these few precepts in thy memory

Look thou character. Give thy thoughts no tongue,

Nor any unproportion'd thought his act.

Be thou familiar, but by no means vulgar.

Those friends thou hast, and their adoption tried,

Grapple them to thy soul with hoops of steel;

But do not dull thy palm with entertainment

Of each new-hatch'd, unfledg'd comrade. Beware

Of entrance to a quarrel but, being in,

Bear't that th' opposed may beware of thee.

Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice;

Take each man's censure, but reserve thy judgement.

Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy,

But not express'd in fancy; rich, not gaudy;

For the apparel oft proclaims the man;

And they in France of the best rank and station

Are of a most select and generous chief in that.

Neither a borrower, nor a lender be;

For loan oft loses both itself and friend,

And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry.

**This above all: to thine own self be true**,

And it must follow, as the night the day,

Thou canst not then be false to any man.

Farewell; my blessing season this in thee!

-- William Shakespeare

Disclaimer-Stare _really really _hard at the following blank space, and you just might, _might _see a disclaimer.

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Those days spent in that small room were the hardest days Kalasin had ever faced.

Sure, she was being fed, and had a comfortable bed, but it was simply the lack of sunlight and human comfort that made her feel uncomfortable. She had been in contact with only two people over the past days-weeks? - and those people were Kaddar and Lukiem, both whom were not the most charming companions. The dark walls felt like they were closing in on her, and quickly.

She entertained herself with stories of the people she knew and how they got to where they are. She thought about how Alanna had disguised herself as a boy for eight years just to become her dream; she thought about how Daine had been born, and had nothing expected of her; she thought about how her mother and Buri had fled their own land for safety.

_What would _they_ do in a situation like this? _She thought.

Alanna would easily knock out Lukiem or Kaddar with a punch or kick; Daine could simply turn into a mouse and escape through the door when Kaddar brought her food; and the queen and her companion would simply charge their captors and escape.

Being born as a princess in Tortall meant you had high standards to meet. With being born after the likes of the most successful woman in history you felt the pressure to be just like them. _But how?_ She thought.

A sentence popped into her head, one from a poem her mother had read to her years ago. The actual poem Kalasin could not memorize, although there was one sentence that her mother had put emphasis on. She had never forgotten that one line.

_This above all: to thine own self be true._

It was impossible to do those things that Alanna or Daine or anyone else could do. _She wasn't one of them. _If she was going to get out of there, she would have to do it her own way.

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_It took all of Daine's willpower not to gasp out loud at who she saw._

_It was Numair._

Time seemed to simply stop for a moment. Daine looked into Numair's eyes; he into her own. He seemed as genuinely shocked as her.

At that moment however, time started again. The crown backed against the wall, leaving the dance floor open to only Daine and Kaddar. Numair was caught in the crowd as they shuffled backwards. He found himself directly against a wall that was pushing into his back.

Daine's mind was in a jumble. She felt the comings of a headache, and a big one at that. She did not, however, have time to complain as the gentle melody of flutes rushed into her ears. She felt Kaddar grab her hands and place them in the correct spots. They both stood there, looking into each other's eyes, until more instruments joined in, which gave the cue to start dancing.

Kaddar put his left leg forwards; she put her right leg back. He stepped to the right, she to the left. She figured out that whatever Kaddar did, she did backwards. At first she was relieved to find that the rhythm of the music was slow, which helped her learn the steps better. Progressively the music became faster, and luckily she was able to keep up.

She would've learned the steps much faster, but Numair preoccupied her mind. _What in the name of the Graveyard Hag is he doing here? _Her thoughts asked.

A sudden jab in her shoulder brought her thoughts back to reality. "_Smile,_" Kaddar hissed between his fake grin. She mirrored his image. The wonderful Carthaki dress lived up to every expectation; if she listened closely, Daine could here some whispers about how beautiful the dress was, which was the main topic among the female guests. It swirled around her in a sunset format, mimicking the suns every movement.

When the music piece blended into another and more couples came onto the dance floor, Daine relaxed.

"Numair's here!" she whispered quickly. "I saw him! Why in the world is he here? Did you know about this?"

His dark eyes snapped back into attention. "What?"

"He's here! I don't know where, but here!"

He looked down at her. "I have no idea why he's here, but it can't be something important! If it were, he would have already found us! And are you sure it's him?"

She glared at him. "Yes."

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Numair had felt the rush of familiar emotions thread through his body: emotions of joy, fear, anxiety and what-just-happened when he had met Daine's eyes. After a brief moment however, he was pulled into the crowd as they moved against the wall to make room for Kaddar and Daine.

He waited at the back of the crowd for the music to change. Moving up to the front would do no good to him, so he just waited and thought about why Daine was currently Kalasin.

When more couples went onto the dance floor, Numair did not know how to talk to Daine. Since she was dancing, she would not be able to leave for a while, not after having such a grand entrance. The only way to talk to her was to be dancing beside her, and talk to her amidst all of the noise.

_But to get near to her,_ he thought, _I'll need a dance partner, and one willing to dance for a long time! Not to mention, I won't even be talking to her!_

Taking a deep breath and running his course hand through his dark hair, he looked at some of the guests who were sitting on the glass chairs on the sidelines. Every woman there had an escort, except one.

That woman was wearing a tight fitting red dress.

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Daine was dancing along quite gracefully with Kaddar, whilst thinking of how to talk to Numair, and figure out why he was so far away from Tortall.

Or maybe it wasn't Numair, and she just missed him so much that she envisioned him there…but when she looked over Kaddar's shoulder and saw the sharply dressed man leading a curvy blonde onto the dance floor, she immediately recognized him. Although it was hard due to all of the turning and twirling, she watched them start dancing.

Jealousy flooded Daine's mind as she saw how close the blonde was to him.

"Who is _that_?" Daine asked, motioning with her head to the blonde.

Kaddar turned so he could see the woman. "Her? That's Junika Kingsford…Varice's sister."

In her mind, Daine spat.

"Varice? No wonder. But then again, at least the Kingsfords have good taste in men…"

Kaddar chuckled softly, but didn't say anything else.

She noticed that very progressively he and Junika were moving towards her. Finally, they were close enough to talk.

"Numair!"

"Daine!"

That's all they had the time to say before the music changed, and different steps were needed to match the beat. More couples started dancing, and Daine found it difficult to find Numair.

Luck was with their side. The new song required couples to change partners periodically. During a high pitch in the rhythm Daine switched partners and found herself with Numair staring across from her.

"What are you doing here?" They both asked at once.

"Me? What about _you_?" they both said at the same time again.

They both grinned. "Nice to see you," Numair said, then added, "Kalasin."

"Long story. Why are _you _here?"

Numair had no chance to answer as another high pitch sounded and they were forced to separate. Daine found herself paired with a gentleman who luckily knew how to dance, so she didn't make a fool of herself. He had both dark hair and eyes, and his body was tanned from the sun.

Switching partners again, Daine was paired with Kaddar.

"Did you have a chance to talk with Numair?" he asked.

She nodded. "Not much time…darn music…he didn't really say anything."

"Well, I talked with Junika Kingsford. Apparently, she and Numair are 'together'. She said that he wanted to talk with you, supposedly to 'break up the relationship'. It's just a ruse of course, so that you can talk with him. You aren't jealous, correct?"

"Of course not," she lied.

"Eyebrow," he said coolly.

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It had taken much persuasion on Numair's part to convince Junika he was actually in love with her, and he had only 'lied' about not being interested to make sure she wouldn't go running off with another man.

It was the worst story Numair had ever made up.

But since Junika was only interested in the words 'I still really like you', the whole rest of the story blew right by her. The important fact was however, that Numair was able to get onto the dance floor.

The brief conversation had gotten nowhere. Daine and Numair needed to talk, although if they danced together for a long time guests would notice, and comment on Kalasin's being 'unfaithful'.

The dance he was currently participating in was uneventful, due to the fact Daine was on the other side of the room. He had to live with Junika's stare, which was directed into the cores of his eyes.

_But how to get to Daine! _He thought. Then another thought popped into his head.

_I have an idea…_it said.

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A/N-Currently I'm in the habit of doing one idiotic thing a day.

First: I'm playing football in Gym class, and a do a _beautiful _interception from the other team. It was priceless. But then I ran the wrong way, towards my end of the field. Luckily I didn't get very far before someone tagged me, but I still get made fun of for it. :)Oops.

Second: I do morning announcements in my school. I thought I had it all set up, and all of the right pretty buttons were flashing. So I press 'play' on the stereo for the national anthem to play. But I forgot to switch over the CD player, so when I pressed 'play' the radio came on, blasting. It took a _long _time for the vice-principal to figure out how to turn it off.

And in response to questions about the ear-piercing thing: I don't want my ears pierced, although my Dad says I'm like the only female teenager who doesn't want them. I said I can't possibly be the only person, so that's why I posted it. And no **Ariana**, it'll have nothing to do with my story :).

Please review!


	28. Don't Shoot the Messenger

A/N-For **Queen of Crimson**: I calculated that 86 percent of my reviewers had their ears pierced, but then a whole bunch more people reviewed and I'm simply too tired to re-do my work. But I remember that only two people didn't have their ears pierced (who didn't want them): **AerinAlanna **and **Gretta99**. Sorry if I missed someone's name, just tell me! And to the above two names: YAY! I'm not the only person!

Disclaimer-**stares-** Do I really have to say it again?

A/N(Again)-So you're not confused, here's where everybody is…

Kaddar, Daine and Numair are on the dance floor. Numair can't talk to Daine directly, or else she'll be accused of being unfaithful.

Kalasin is being held captive. Still. But she has a plan.

Unikum has told Varice about the evil plan. They still have to make their appearance. (Dun dun…….)

Junika is more than who she appears to be.

Lukiem is worried.

And the story…

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After swearing violently under her breath for well more than a couple minutes, Varice simply stared at Unikum.

"So…you're telling _me _this? Why _me_?"

"Because," Unikum began, pushing a stray hair out of his face, "the more people that know, the better chance we have of stopping Lukiem."

Varice nodded. "But Lukiem only was a handful of supporters, right? _That _many people can't have a grudge on Tortall, can they?"

"Many soldiers died when that girl from Tortall came. Their families are…not happy, to say the least. They'd love to see Tortall fall."

Varice started biting the ends of her hair, a nasty habit she had picked up when she was a child and only did when confused.

"And what if this is all a lie?" she asked.

"_You're _just going to have to trust me."

"I don't."

He threw his hands out to his sides, exasperated. "Fine."

She hadn't expected that. She thought he would have gone into some long speech on why he was right. But no, he had left her to her own opinions. Varice admitted to herself that she liked how he had done that.

"What…would we do now?" she asked slowly, choosing her words carefully.

Unikum fingered his long nose. "We have to warn the Emperor, for all we know he could be next."

"What am I getting myself into? I still don't believe you. Why should I? You say simply that the soon-to-be Empress is _kidnapped_? That's not possible. I saw her today. She was getting her hair styled, in the spa."

Unikum's eyes sharpened at this new information. "_What_? That's impossible!"

"Nothing's impossible until it's not! You have no proof."

Unikum was unbelievably surprised. "This…isn't right…"

Unikum had expected Varice to say something in reply, although she said nothing. Not a whisper, nor footstep nor any other sound could be heard in the room.

Walking over to her dresser in the far side of the room, Varice pulled out a fine, orange, velvet dress that had a V-cut. Using the robe as a shield, she slipped on the dress. It accented her hair, and Unikum thought it was a shame that the spell had worn of right when they were about to…

"Well, let's go. 'Kalasin', or whoever, is in the middle of her introduction. The only way we'll be able to talk to her at all is if we dance alongside her."

"Isn't that a little…risky?"

"I'm open to suggestions." She unlocked the lock on the door.

He complimented both ideas, of both going and not.

He stood up with a groan.

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Numair's plan was not original _or _creative, but it worked. If _Daine _couldn't talk to Numair for a long time, _Kaddar _most certainly could. It was so simple it was easy to miss.

That was when he noticed the flaw in his plan.

Junika.

_How can I get rid of her? _He wondered. He couldn't somehow walk off on her, not after his speech on how he still liked her. Numair had been planning to catch Daine's attention, and walk slowly over to one of the tables on the sidelines. Daine would hopefully understand the situation. Whilst she danced with another member of high-ranking royalty (which was common in Carthaki culture) Kaddar could talk with Numair. If anyone happened to ask what they were talking about for that long time, Kaddar would simply reply "Business matters."

It was perfect. Except for one thing.

Junika.

But as fate would have it, Junika unlocked her hands from his. She curtsied.

"My thanks," she said. She scurried to the exit from the dance floor. Although Numair was very, very confused at her sudden change in personality, he didn't mind. He could go through with his plan.

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Junika ran down the hall as fast as her court shoes would allow. Doing her best to stay away from guards and any miscellaneous personnel, she stayed in the dark shadows where the bright light from the candles situated on the walls could not reach.

Silently slipping out into the courtyard, she used the shadows to camouflage herself in them. The air was warm, due to the summer heat. The moon was waxing, and the light given off from it highlighted all that surrounded her. The courtyard was in a pentagonal shape, with towers at either end. She could pick out the guards moving across the wall, ready to sound an alarm any second. She shouldn't be worried, she knew, as she had an excuse, but sheer nerves made her nervous. Questions were to be avoided.

By that time she was annoyed with the frivolous court shoes. She quickly bent over and took them off. She cast them aside underneath a bag of wheat that had been carelessly left with other sacks and barrels in the middle of the courtyard. She didn't give them another thought.

Exiting through another one of the pentagonal sides, Junika found herself in another hallway, opposite of the one she had been in only minutes before. Since mostly everyone had been at the ball, the whole hall was deserted, save a mouse scurrying near a wall. Numerous tapestries were hung, showing pictures of mighty heroes shouting victory over enemies, and comrades looking up fondly.

Minutes later, Junika entered the stables. She immediately drew herself up at the horrible smell. Distasteful, in her mind. But that was beside the point.

The horses whinnied at this sudden intruder making her way into their stable. Not noticing anything around her including stacks of hay and numerous saddles, she made her way over to the farthest stall. This stall had no horse, but instead had a fine covering of hay along the bottom. She unlocked the small bolt and made her way inside it. Snatching a glace both ways to make sure no one had hidden anywhere, she bent down. Wiping off some of the hay, her hands found the small lock they usually found.

She unlatched it. Wiping off more hay, an outline of a trap door appeared. It was wooden, and quite new. She hoisted up the latch, and the wooden covering came up with it.

Only the moon, which came through some of the spaces in between the occasional misplaced wood plank, was her light. The faint light show her the steps she had descended only days before. Dark and full of despair, the stairs reflected her feelings.

She carefully maneuvered herself down the into door, pausing only to grab the latch, and close it from inside. She was in pitch blackness. Turning around, her hands fumbled for the railing. When they found it, she sighed in relief. Slowly, as to not lose her balance, she made her way down the twisting steps.

Finally she saw light. She was attracted to it like a mosquito was attracted to flame. She landed the final step, her bare feet making a soft _thunk _on the ground.

Junika was at a junction point. To her back was the twisting staircase. To her front was a very, very black hallway, only lighted with the occasional lamp. She knew that there were doorways, and if she went far enough she was in an underground castle. To her left was another hallway, this one not as dark as the first. Here were Lukiem's quarters, at least his _other _quarters. Other senior staff members had their quarters located here, including hers.

Junika was actually part of Lukiem's plan. She was of pivotal importance.

There was no way Numair could have infiltrated the castle that easily, without being noticed. Not with all of Lukiem's spies, constantly on the alert for Tortallans, which were easy to spot, due to lack of Carthaki cuture experience. Being so tall, Numair was easily picked out from among the crowd. He had been allowed to enter the castle, and enter the ballroom. If he hadn't, he would have become suspicious. Suspicion could grow to mistrust, which could grow eventually to enemy status. Numair as an enemy would not be pretty.

She had been assigned to distract Numair. She would allow him a glance at Kalasin, know that she was alright and then dance away the night with him. He would leave in the morning.

But that did _not _make any sense in the least. Junika had, of course, noticed Daine. But it hadn't clicked to her that they were holding the real Kalasin underground.

She had only realized that everything did not make sense until only minutes ago, when she ran out of the ballroom. She had to tell Lukeim that they had somehow found a replacement Kalasin. She did _not _want to be the person to inform him of this, as the saying '_don't shoot the messenger' _ran through her mind like a horse. But she had to do this.

It was her job. Her choices throughout life had landed her here. She nervously scuttled down the left hallway, passing numerous doors, including her own. She took a deep breath, and knocked on the farthest door. It was the one door that, when entered, one would find themselves face to face with Lukeim Hashamr.

Junika had never been more terrified in her life.

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A/N-I have excuses, and some of them are actually real. I know it's short, I know I've kept you waiting, but hey, life has a habit of throwing curveballs at you.

Has anyone read the book _Ranger's Apprentice _by John Flanagan? I just finished it today, and it was amazing. Anyways, please review!!!!

P.S. Pretty please, with a cherry on top?

P.S.S. And cookies on top. We shant forget the cookies.


	29. Everything

A/N- Thanks to all of my reviewers! Unfortunately, my e-mail isn't working so I can only access my reviews from my story.

Gretta99- Thanks for the review! Try re-submitting the alerts, maybe that will help.

Misled Nymph- Thanks! Have you read the sequel to Ranger's Apprentice? I haven't though really want to :)

HappeeGoLuckee- Thanks! Hopefully his plan will work, but due to the fact I like to draw out things you never know:D

Citizen Of Fantasy At Heart- Isn't Junika annoying? Sometimes I just want to write her off of a cliff! Anyways, thanks for the review!

Do you know Emily Davison- Unikum is a defector, he switched sides. So now he's good. And they aren't doing anything because…I don't know. But they will soon, I promise!

tenesychick123- Thanks! Lukiem is very, very evil! Evil characters are ever so much fun to write.

kaypgirl- **-Hands cookies with no cherries over**- Thanks!

WeepingWillowleaf- Thanks! Junika is totally evil/annoying!

Queen of Crimson- I know…it takes me forever nowadays to update! **–mutters about curveballs- **And yes, update soon!

Elf-of-Sunlight- I have no idea if it'll have a happy ending. And no, I've only read the first Ranger's Apprentice books! I thought there was only a sequel, but there are _four_? What are they called?

Erytha- Thanks! And the book is totally worth reading.

Please note, this story has a mind of its own. I'm not really controlling it. So the title and summary have nothing really to do with the actual story. The plot I had originally planned went down the drain, and here we are now. If you have and new title names, feel free to submit them!

Disclaimer-The characters aren't mine, never have, never will be. **–sigh-**

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Junika had never, ever heard as much swearing as she did in that one moment in time, the moment that she had informed Lukiem that there were now two Kalasins.

The swearing had included various phrases Junika hadn't heard for years, including words starting with the letter f, and ending with –uck. The swearing was in a long string, and she was impressed Lukiem could hold his breath that long.

Finally, Lukiem took a long breath. He was furious and looked ready to kill at any second. He stalked over to a floor-length mirror, took his fist back and smashed it to pieces. The sound echoed in Junika's ears and she winced as a small fragment of glass scratched her ankle. A small trickle of blood streamed out. It was nothing much, but still painful.

The room that the two rebels were in had seen better days. A small but useful bed sat silently in the corner, with a dark, wooden bureau nearby. A desk with papers scattered along it was to Junika's right, and the shattered mirror to her left. The lighting was dim, only coming from the four corners where candles were placed on various paraphernalia.

Lukiem, dark eyes set to kill, looked up at Junika.

"My life has been a chain of bad luck since the day the bitch came," he began; voice much lower that usual, "My wife…child…love…life…all gone. Because of the wench, whatever her name is. She came from that country…and ruined my life. I _will _get revenge. I'm entitled. They ruin my life, I ruin theirs. Only fair. It's the circle of life. You know what they say…" in a ghostly voice that sent shivers down the blonde girl's spine he said, "_round and round and round it goes, where it stops, nobody knows._

"Whoever the girl is, kill her. We cannot afford to have this girl spread what is happening. She obviously knows something unusual is amidst, and so does the Emperor."

Junika began to shiver constantly throughout her body. She began to regret more and more with each minute the way her life had turned.

"I don't care how you do it. You have two days, but don't harm the Emperor. _I _have plans for him. Just make sure the girl is dead in the next forty-eight hours. Go."

Junika did not need any more telling. She scrambled away from the madman, not bothering to tell him that according to superstition it was bad luck to smash a mirror.

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"So," Numair said, voice tight with tension. The two were seated to the side of the dance floor, opposite each other. For a few spare moments they listen to the melody of the music and the feast for the eyes of the dancing.

"So," said Kaddar.

"Nice to see you again. Shame it's not under better circumstances," Numair said, breaking the ice.

"Likewise," Kaddar said dryly. He suddenly smiled. "Why _are _you here?"

"That doesn't matter," Numair said, lowering his voice, making it harder for people who might be listening harder to hear. "What does matter is that Daine is Kalasin, Kalasin is missing and I'm in need of a bath. What is that all about? Am I really sure I just saw eighteen-year-old Daine as thirteen-year-old Kalasin?"

Kaddar nodded, and caught a passing slave's eye. He whispered something into the slave's ear, and watched her scurry off, obeying orders to the utmost degree of perfection.

"I though you were going to release the slaves," Numair whispered.

"I was," Kaddar answered. "But…it was just to much of a gap for the Carthaki government to fill. It's going to be damned hard to fix everything that my ancestors messed up. I hope I'm up for the challenge."

"You'll do fine…Majesty, "Numair added at the very end, forgetting completely he was talking to the leader of a powerful country. Being around Jonathan and Thayet had completely changed his attitude towards monarchs, sometimes for better, sometimes for worse.

The younger man smiled at the older man's confidence. At that precise moment, two people, a man and a woman, made their way to the table. They bowed quickly, so quickly that Numair could not see their faces. The one woman was dressed finely in an orange, velvet dress.

Well, the glass table Numair and Kaddar had been seated on was comfortable with the two of them there. But when Varice, the woman dressed in the orange dress, positioned herself on the right of Numair and Unikum on the left, it suddenly became much more cramped.

"Excuse me?" Numair said, rising, annoyed. He suddenly noticed their company. "Varice?" he asked.

"Sit down and shut up," Varice said, annoyed as much as her tall companion. She glanced quickly at Unikum, and then turned back to her former lover. "Don't say anything until we're finished. This may take some telling."

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Exactly one hour later the topic of the current issue died out among the four seated at the small table, and poor Daine's feet had been aching for the last _three _hours from dancing with every member of the Carthaki high council.

But at least the four now knew everything about Lukiem. _Everything._

They knew his plot, his plans, and most importantly…where Kalasin was.


	30. Escape!

A/N-Thanks to all of my reviewers! You make my day…week…month…year…

Disclaimer- My dog ate the disclaimer.

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Kalasin knew exactly what to do…well, not _exactly_. It was more improvisation that anything else. But she had her basic guidelines of what to do, and decided to act upon them. Dying physically was better than dying mentally, alone in a room for who knows how long.

She wasn't physically strong like Alanna, she wasn't as magical as Daine, and she wasn't nearly brave enough as her mother and Buri. But the one skill she did have was pure stealth, which she had needed when she was younger. At the time when she was little out of the toddler years she would sneak down to the kitchens, and steal numerous cookies. The thought of that brought a rare smile to the princess's face.

The first obstacle the young girl knew she would face was obviously the door. Only a few feet from her know, it looked harmless enough. But it was holding her captive. _Damn it_, she thought. _I feel so…hopeless!_

She mentally kicked herself. If she discouraged herself now, there would be no hope when more was required. Taking her long hair (which hadn't been cut or brushed in a _long _time) she shoved it down the back of her brown, old tunic. That was one thing that had changed…her clothes. Approximately a few days back she had been brought that same tunic, and a skirt which was grey and smelled like cheese. But it was better than before, which was the simple nightgown she had worn for however long she had been there.

She walked closer to inspect the door, although to be more specific, the hinges. Since the door opened inwards, the hinges faced her. They were remarkably new, to Kalasin's disappointment. Her plan would not work.

Until that moment, Kalasin had not paid much attention to the _height _of the door. It was only three feet taller than her. Glancing back at the desk and chair in the other corner, she did a double-take on the chair. She guessed it was…a good three feet off of the ground.

The idea struck her so fast it hurt her brain. She had no idea why she hadn't thought of it before.

It wouldn't take long to set up, or _do_ for that matter. With her feet _pit-pattering_ against the cold floor, she quickly dragged the chair to the left, her left, of the door. She stood on it, and waited for the moment to come.

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After Junika had left, Lukiem ran as fast as his long legs would allow to Kalasin's chambers. _Who knows_, he thought. _Kalasin might have escaped, and there_

is _only one Kalasin._

Of course, he knew it was just about impossible for her to escape, but anything to make him feel better was greatly appreciated.

He opened the door leading to her rooms as fast as he could.

The door swung wide open, and if there had been a third person standing in the far corner of the room they would have seen this:

They would have seen an absolute furious Lukiem at the door. They would also see Kalasin standing on a chair beside the door. But Lukiem of course, did not notice the girl, due to the fact of the door obstructing his view.

The viewer would notice Kalasin silently hoist herself _up and over the door_ when Lukiem ran in.

The person would also ponder why when presented with a major setback, a one person can think about that one and only thing. Lukiem was like this, not noticing the empty chair beside the door. But he did notice the lack of Kalasin.

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At that precise moment, three dark figures, hidden within the shadows of the moon high overhead ducked into a stable. The shadows played their tune as the light the moon was giving off slowly disappeared as clouds passed overhead.

The three people, whose bodies belonged to Numair, Varice and Unikum, quickly made their way to the far back of the stable. The horses whinnied as they passed by.

The gate creaked as Unikum opened it. "In here," he whispered.

Varice went through the gate first, followed closely by Numair, then Unikum. The latter bent down, found the secret latch, and pulled upwards. The darkness that plunged upwards at them was remarkably terrifying. Taking a deep breath, Unikum said nothing and went slowly down the hatch. Varice, shaking like a mouse cornered by a cat, followed him. Numair went last.

He didn't notice that he forgot to close the latch behind himself.

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Kalasin, heart beating five times as fast as usual, ran quickly throughout the dark halls. She noticed that there weren't any guards patrolling, so she assumed that she was no longer in the palace. At that point, she stepped on sharp pieces of…something, which dug deeply into her tender feet. She wished for shoes, but knew such luxuries were not available.

At that point, Kalasin realized she had no idea where she was going. Just…away from Lukiem. That would be best, getting away from him.

The halls blended into each other, with no distinguishable features. The princess wanted to panic, but the small piece of logic remaining within herself told her not. Five minutes of frantic running later, she heard voices. She went flat up against a wall, which was a juncture point. To her right was a small connecting hallway to another main one. It was in the main one where the voices were coming from. She heard three. One of them sounded unbelievably familiar, but as Kalasin was becoming so frantic she couldn't place it.

She wasn't aware of her heavy breathing.

Still against the wall, hoping whoever was on the other side would not harm her, she waited, but surprisingly did not hear anything. Nothing, not a sound. She didn't want to show herself, for fear that she did not know if the other people were friends or enemies. She guessed, due to her luck, that they were enemies.

She was wrong.

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Running through the halls, Numair, Varice and Unikum tried talking at the same time.

"Just around this corner…" Unikum said, gasping for breath.

Varice suddenly stopped. "Listen," she whispered.

Varice obviously had good ears to hear what she did at that moment. Listening closer, Numair found he heard hard, labored breathing on the other side of the hall he was in. He didn't know if the person on the other side was a friend or enemy, so he motioned to the other two, and they peeled themselves to the wall, ad slowed their breathing. They heard nothing, so he hoped the enemy had gone away.

Only they didn't know it was Kalasin on the other side of the hard, cold wall.


	31. Three Seconds to Live

A/N- _This chapter is dedicated to my grandmother who recently passed away._

_R. I. P._

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Disclaimer- Nouns aren't mine.

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Silence enveloped the hallway like a stranger pulling on a cloak in the midst of the night.

The four people – Numair, Varice and Unikum on one side, and Kalasin on the other- were so close, yet so far.

The silence was simply asking for it to be broken. Kalasin felt an itch crawl up the side of her throat.

And so did Varice.

Thus when Kalasin coughed, so did Varice. The sounds cancelled each other out. Although the four could not hear the person/people on the other side of the hall, they could _sense _something was wrong. Unikum put a hand on Numair's shoulder, indicating he would talk.

"Whoever you are," he began, voice shaking, "I do not know whether you are friend or foe. Which are you?"

Kalasin decided she had nothing to lose. If she said nothing, she assumed they would attack.

"Are you _my _friend or foe?" Kalasin asked, scared.

If Kalasin's voice had been its usually melodic or temperamental sound, Numair would have recognized it immediately. But since her throat had been so dried out, it sounded nothing like it had before. It only barely carried a trace of what it had once been.

No one knew what to say.

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Daine had massive energy built inside of her. She was positive that she could out-run a horse, in human form, with so much energy. She was still dancing with the top monarchs, who were only interested in the latest gossip ("Did you hear your highness? Apparently Lady Shelly ran off with Lord Budun!"), the latest fashion ("Did you _see _the Counselor's wife? Her dress is preposterous!"), and the latest of the music ("It's seems to me the flutes are off-tune, my lady").

Daine, however, was ready to go run and jump in an ice-cold lake. Of course, that was impossible as it would be tacky to leave a party meant for _you_.

_But it would be tackier if I slapped the face of all these stuffed-shirt swaggering peacocks! _She told herself, and smiled secretly.

"Excuse me," she said to the short bearded man. "I think…Lord…" she coughed and said an incomprehensible word, so he couldn't tell what Lord was calling her, "is calling me. I must leave, and my apologies."

He bowed, and looked almost delighted, as Daine was taller than him.

"Of course, your highness," he said.

She curtsied, and did an extremely fast walk to the massive doors overlooking the palace floors. She had no idea what had possessed her to leave, but she knew that something important was happening.

Running in the halls, Daine found that her dress, shoes, and even the beads in her hair were getting in her way. To top it off, everyone was bowing to her. Taking off the incredibly uncomfortable shoes, she took them in one hand. Sprinting now, she had to do something, not just dance like a damned figurehead. The first thing, she figured, was to get the appropriate dress wear. She decided infamous breeches were the best.

She threw out her magic as fast as her body would allow. Sensing horses nearby, she simply followed their directions to the stables. Before she could make the last turn through the brightly-lit hallways, she realized that the only way to get past the guards at the stables would be to sneak in. And something about the way how she was supposed to be about half a mile in the other direction wouldn't help her situation. "I was lost" would not help in this case.

Sighing, she knew exactly what she had to do. Stepping into a niche, she changed forms. Instead of an eighteen-year-old stepping out of the niche, a small female mouse did.

Scurrying along, she made remarkable time for a mouse. Numerous times she saw guards with their helmets and shields raised high, but stepped into the shadows of the light to avoid them.

Squeezing through a crack in the broken-down door, Daine found herself in a courtyard. The moon, waning, had started to slowly descend to the horizon, awaiting its return.

She no longer needed to follow the horse's directions to the stables; she followed her nose.

Inside, she found all of the stalls were filled with horses, except for one. A stable boy was asleep in the hay. He looked fourteen, but was tall for his age. He wore dirty breeches, but breeches nonetheless. A tunic went overtop, emblazed with whatever symbol the stable boys used. It was a pale orange with hints of yellow.

She changed back to herself, and noted that the beads in her hair had come off along with her dress. She could no longer pretend to be Kalasin. Walking slowly to not awaken the teen, she stepped directly in front of him. She thought she had moved silently through the stables, but not enough. The boy's eyes snapped open, revealing clear blue eyes. He let out a yelp, and pulled a dagger from his boot.

_Well that's handy, _Daine thought wryly, stepping back.

"It's not what it seems like," she said. _Or is it?_

The boy's eyes opened even more realizing she wore nothing. Being his age, his hormones were at a peak. He hadn't been trained to attack a naked person.

Taking her chance while the boy was ogling, (_Men! _Daine thought) she pulled her arm back and swung her hand at his nose. It broke cleanly in two. While he doubled-over, she swung her arm at his head, knocking him out.

"Sorry" she whispered quietly. She stripped him of his clothes, and put them on. They had fit surprisingly well. Feeling guilty about leaving the boy naked, she covered him with hay.

Her brown curls were everywhere, and took a moment to put them behind her shoulders.

_So I have the clothes to move, _she said to herself, _but now what?_

She didn't have time to think anything else, as a shadow in the corner, by the empty stall, moved.

Taking the dagger by the hilt, in four quicksteps she had covered the ground between her and the figure, obviously human. She put the dagger to the throat of whoever it was; she was tired of playing games.

"_Kaddar,_" he said, trying not to move his throat too much.

Changing her eyes to that of an eagle, she could see he was indeed Kaddar. Her eyes went back to normal. She hastily withdrew the dagger.

"_Your Highness!_" she said, ashamed she had just put a blade to the Emperor's throat. It most certainly counted as treason.

Taking a deep breath, Kaddar smiled. "Next time, take a closer look."

She hung her head. Then, quickly getting her nerve back, she asked, "Why are _you _here?"

"To look for you. Numair, Varice and Unikum have already gone done down the trapdoor," he pointed, "and I realized you should be filled in. I was about to go look for you in the ballroom, however I see you found me. How did you know to leave?"

She shrugged. "I don't know, but who's Unikum?"

Kaddar shook his head. "Later. For now, those were some impressive punches you threw."

She laughed. "Thanks…but what now?"

Kaddar threw a glance at the trap door. "I suggest down there."

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For a few moments, no one breathed in the dark, damp hallway.

Numair, getting annoyed at doing nothing, suddenly called out, "If you don't tell us who you are in three seconds, I'm going to blast this wall through-and-through, taking you with it. And yes, I _can _do that. You have three seconds to live."

Kalasin looked up.

"Three,"

A voice she recognized! She could barely contain her excitement…it was Numair on the other side of the wall!

"Two,"

But before she could call out anything, she heard,

"One."


	32. All Good Things

A/N- Don't kill me, I was on vacation! Happy 2007!

Disclaimer- This story is only the ramblings in my head unleashed. Beware!

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Numair was very, very mad.

And he at least had a good reason to be.

He had just endured… what was it? A two week madness of not knowing who was who, sneaking into foreign countries where only a few years ago he was being sought after, being slapped by a hormonal woman, and only getting three hours of sleep each night. And as Daine knew, if you messed with Numair's sleep schedule… you would pay dearly. When he was threatening to totally blow up the wall between him and the mystery person, he was only threatening. Any woman would have described him as having a very bad case of PMS.

He had dearly hoped that the other person would run away, leaving Numair feeling very almighty.

Kalasin, however, did not know of Numair's situation, or the fact that by now she was supposed to be running away. To her, the other person on the other side of the wall had been pampered with chocolate delicacies and had just endured a two-hour long bath. Needless to say, she was mad at the person she had created in her imagination.

Kalasin prepared to die. She closed her eyes, and glued her fists to her thighs for a strange comfort.

The onslaught of death never came, and she could feel a mix of emotions including anxiety, apprehension and joy at not being dead course with surprising speed through her veins.

She tentatively opened one eye, and when she saw nothing but the dark hall ahead of her she opened the other. The silence enveloped her like a cloak on a dark night.

"Hello?" she whispered, gambling with her life.

"Hello," Varice said, recovering from the shock of Numair doing nothing first.

More awkward silence, until, "What's your name?" which came from Unikum.

She was tired of doing nothing, and figured that if you did nothing, then you would achieve the same thing.

"Kalasin," she replied, showing all of her cards. She looked down, long, untrimmed hair covering her face, and shuffled her feet.

Numair, Unikum and Varice exchanged looks of "_No way_!"

"It's only fair," she said, voice rising, "that you tell me your names now."

Kalasin never received an answer, because a very tall man ran through the connecting hallway and enveloped her in a massive hug. Since her head was now on the person's left shoulder, she could only see the back of his head, which was a long, black horsetail. She recognized it immediately.

"Numair!" she shouted. Finally…someone she knew…tears welled in her eyes, but she managed to hold them back.

Unikum and Varice ran around the corner, wanting to see who Numair knew so well. They saw him with a young girl, no more than fourteen who was dressed in a simple skirt and tunic.

Kalasin, facing them, asked harshly, "Who are you?"

They both put their hands up. "Friends," they both said at the same time.

Numair let go of Kalasin and faced his companions. "This," he said, a smile creeping onto his face "is the future Empress."

Unikum and Varice's eyes went wide, and the former bowed while the latter curtseyed.

"Nice to…meet…you, Nobility?" Unikum posed it as a question, silently asking what to call her. Kalasin sighed.

"Kalasin is fine, thank you," she said. "But," Kalasin continued, "We have to go, now! Lukiem, the person who held me captive is looking for me! And if he finds me, he'll kill me, or at least lock me up with no chance of escaping. You, however, _will_ be killed because he has no need for you!"

"The place is big," Unikum said, "It's nearly impossible to find someone."

"That doesn't matter! We need to get out of here _now_!" Kalasin said, with urgency in her voice. "Where's the exit?"

"Back that way," Varice said, throwing her head over her shoulder. "Not far."

"Come with me," Kalasin said. Due to the fact that her hair was still tucked in the back of her tunic and itching madly, she pulled the midnight locks out. She noted that her hair, shoulder-length when she came, was now past her shoulder blades.

Numair nodded. "Agreed. When we get out of this place, stick together until we get above the ground. Then run for the ballroom, where there are a lot of people, and as fast as you can."

Kalasin, Varice and Unikum nodded in agreement.

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Lukiem's legs burned from the running he had done. The underground palace was as big as the original palace.

The tenebrous atmosphere had never gotten to him as it did then, with shadows dancing around him, He knew he had to find Kalasin before she made it to the trapdoor, or else his plan would be ruined.

The _trapdoor_. If he could block Kalasin before she reached the exit, then she wouldn't be able to escape. Thus all he had to do was reach it before she did.

Lukiem knew the underground as well as the back of his hand, and he knew exactly where the exit was. It wasn't far, which he smiled wolfishly at. He amazed himself at the speed of which he ran to the exit, and he gave the credit to adrenaline.

He arrived at the exit, and was glad to see no one else was there. He had arrived first. And since they could only come from his left or front, (due to the design of the hallway,) he knew he had won the little game of cat and mouse. He admitted that Kalasin was the most entertaining of prey he had ever chased, but that didn't matter. He had won.

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The four –Kalasin, Numair, Unikum and Varice- sprinted to the trapdoor. There was one final stretch, and when they turned the final corner-

They saw Lukiem, revenge in his eyes. The four stopped dead in their tracks, and Kalasin wanted to kill the man where he stood.

"Hello, there," Lukiem said, voice dripping with poison. "How are you?"

"I'd be a lot better if you weren't here," Kalasin shot back, with only ten yards between them.

"Shame," Lukiem said. "Such a shame. Can't come any closer now, or I'll get you."

He opened up a part of his robe, and revealed a rough cotton shirt with a leather vest overtop. Taking off the light robe, Kalasin noted a sheath at the side of the breeches he wore. A hilt penetrated from it.

"I'm not afraid to kill you," Lukiem said, voice strong. "As long as you're dead, I'm happy."

"I don't understand," said Varice, whispering to Unikum. "Kalasin never hurt him."

"She represents Tortall, and he wants to destroy Tortall. He'll stop at nothing," he replied.

Kalasin was oblivious to the two talking behind her. The hatred towards Lukiem was growing within her.

She wanted to kill Lukiem, while Lukiem wanted to kill her.

Anyone could figure out that someone was going to die that night.

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Daine and Kaddar were nearly blind from the lack of light in the trapdoor, and only a thin, metal railing kept them from tumbling downwards.

"How much longer until the bottom? Or anything?" Daine asked.

"If I knew, then I'd tell you," Kaddar said. Then he added, "Wait. I see something...it's a light!"

Daine, who was behind Kaddar, was hesitant. "Go slowly. Who knows what's down here." She unsheathed the stable boy's dagger, and the hilt beneath her fingers made her feel better.

Finally, the two arrived at the bottom of the winding staircase. A wooden door was in front of them. Kaddar put his hand on the knob, and then stopped when he heard voices of the other side of the door.

"What are you going to do now, princess? Run away?"

Kaddar and Daine snapped up straight. Kaddar recognized Lukiem's voice, and realized Kalasin was also there. The question _what should we do? _went through both of their heads.

Kaddar, with the little light he had, managed to mime that they should open the door, and charge Lukiem. Daine thought about it. She didn't want any one to get hurt, but if that was the only way…

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"All good things must come to an end," Lukiem said, cocking his head to the right.

"Damn it, Lukiem, you're wrong." Kalasin turned to Numair. "Do something!" she said.

Numair, with strands of his hair over his face, wiped the sweat from the running out of his face. "How?" he asked.

Kalasin winced. Men were so thick. "With your magic!"

_Click. _Kalasin practically heard the sense finally coming into his mind.

"Right! Magic!" Numair's face went dark, and he started to concentrate. Usually his magic came to his naturally, but not now. He did strange things with his hands, but Lukiem remained standing there, unchanged. "It's not working," Numair said, dejected. "He's warded the place. No magic is used down here."

Lukiem's sick laugh echoed through the damp halls. "Right you are, Master Numair! Has it been awhile since you fought without magic?"

Numair never answered, as the door behind Lukiem opened with a burst. The latter turned around with fury, and he faced Daine and Kaddar.

"Daine!" Kalasin yelled, as did Numair. "Kaddar!" Kalasin also added.

Daine and Kaddar paid them no attention, as their eyes were glued to Lukiem. His dagger was pulled, as was Daine's. Recognition in Lukiem's eyes told Daine that she was in for trouble.

"_You_," Lukiem said, "are Tortallan. _You _are the one who killed my son. _You_ will die."

He lunged at Daine, murder in his heart. Daine moved to the right quickly, the dagger missing her chest by inches. Varice and Unikum cowered backwards, Numair stepped forwards (although he knew well enough to stay out of harms way) and Kalasin ran towards her friend. Kaddar, seeing his opportunity, brought his knee up to Lukiem, winding him. Lukiem managed to pivot however, stabbing Kaddar in his right thigh.

The blood pounded out of Kaddar, and the pain was immense, especially when he took the dagger out. Lukiem, hair plastered to his forehead, would have killed him if not for Kalasin, who jumped on Lukiem's back and started strangling him. Lukiem shook her off with ease, and she flew four feet backwards.

By now Daine had recovered. Seeing Kalasin being thrown backwards, Daine locked chest-to-chest with Lukiem, and immediately realized her problem. Lukiem was taller, heavier and stronger. He pushed her backwards, and she hit the ground with a _thunk. _Lukiem was carried by the momentum a few feet from Daine, and she grabbed his ankle, pulling him down with her. He let go of the dagger as she did so.

By now Numair realized that if he wanted to help, he would have to stay out of it. He would only be a nuisance. If Daine was hurt, he would rush in her place.

Meanwhile, Unikum and Varice were huddling together, watching the fight, scared it would come to them.

Kaddar grabbed Lukiem's cast-off robe and ripped off a long piece. He wrapped it tightly around the entry wound, and it stopped bleeding. He couldn't, however, move without stabs of pain shooting through his leg.

Kalasin shimmied up the wall, and finally stood. She wasn't badly hurt, just shaken. Seeing Daine in an all-out fistfight with Lukiem, she panicked, not knowing what to do. At that point the discarded dagger of Lukiem's came into view, as did Daine's which she had lost during the fight. Picking up the closest one, she fingered it. The tool of death sent shivers up her spine, although she knew what she had to do.

It was unexpected, however, that she couldn't tell the difference between the two. They both had dark hair and breeches. If she stabbed randomly into the rolling bodies, she risked hitting Daine.

"Daine!" she shouted above the screams of pain from Lukiem and Daine. "Get up! Run! Let me kill him!"

Daine realized that Kalasin was right. She had no reason to hate Lukiem, although she did know that she had broken his nose. Mustering the last bit of energy within her, she kicked Lukiem between his legs, and while he was distracted she rolled over away from him. She ran towards Numair, leaving Kalasin and Lukiem facing each other.

Kalasin kneeled towards Lukiem, whose face was distorted with pain. She didn't realize that Lukiem had picked up his dagger when Daine had run away.

"All good things must come to an end, right?" Then she leaned closer to his ear. "Wrong."

Lukiem, who was only in half of the pain he portrayed, took advantage of his situation.

"Whatever," he said, grinning, and kneed her in the chest. "Right now, I want the other to die first."

His eyes locked Daine's, who was standing beside Numair. Unikum and Varice had stopped shaking by now, and had joined the pair.

Lukiem took slow steps towards Daine. Numair stood in front of her with his arms stretched out, protecting her. "No," Numair said.

Realizing that he couldn't get any closer without getting beat up, (He was already in bad shape, with a cut across the check from Daine, a broken nose and bruised knees.), Lukiem threw the dagger.

The dagger whistled through the air, but Lukiem's aim was off.

He didn't hit Daine, or Numair.

Instead, his dagger buried itself in the heart of Unikum.

He died instantly.

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"No!" everyone shouted, excepting Kaddar who had passed out. Even Lukiem showed remorse, as he had just killed one of his followers. The crumpled body of Unikum lay of the floor, and Varice, who had been the closest to him, started crying.

Kalasin, who had recovered her breath, had by now walked to three feet away from Lukiem.

"Damn you, Lukiem. I thought that you had changed when you stopped drugging my food. I thought you had a heart. No, I was wrong. You don't have a heart. You're not human. You don't deserve the title. I thought that leopards could change their spots. Damn you, Lukiem."

Lukiem, shaking, turned to face her. To her surprise, he was crying.

"You don't know how it feels," he said. "To lose a loved one. Your son! How could it happen? Damn me, Kalasin? I don't think so. Damn Tortall, for ruining my life."

Kalasin shook her head. "Your son was in the army, and accepted the risks of the job. Daine didn't mean to kill him, either. It was his own stubbornness for not leaving. When you learned of your loss you could have mourned for as long as you wanted, and then moved on. If you don't move on, your life is caged in tragedy. Remember him, but do not live your life for revenge."

Lukiem didn't hear a word she said. Instead, he turned to the one who he hated with every once of his body, Daine.

"You killed me," he said.

"No," Daine replied, voice cool, "You killed yourself."

Lukiem stared at her, realizing what she meant. If he had instead accepted his loss then his life would have been fuller. If he had been lucky, he might of still had a wife. But he had lived his life in misery, slowly killing himself.

"I can't let you live, Lukiem."

Lukiem faced Kalasin again.

"Goodbye," Kalasin whispered.

With all of her might, she rammed the dagger into his heart. The life drained out of him, and that was the fateful day that Lukiem Hashamr died.

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A/N- Almost done the story! There's maybe one chapter left, and then an epilogue. This chapter took about two hours to write, and was by far the longest. I'm hoping to get to 300 reviews by the end, so you know what that means…review!


	33. Time of Your Life

A/N- Yay, alerts are back! The description Kalasin gives of the sunrise is based on what I saw a couple of days ago. The sky was beautiful, so I climbed up on a fence, and time just stopped. It was amazing.

Disclaimer- Ah, my faithful disclaimer, always with me, and always the same thing. I'm just playing with these characters. They're fun to play with.

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Shock rippled through the hallway like a pebble dropped into a pond when Kalasin stabbed Lukiem. Lukiem's eyes, once a troubled blue, were now a lifeless grey which reflected the atmosphere, and his face had lines that were not there moments ago. The body, a healthy 156 pounds, suddenly fell onto Kalasin who had not retracted the knife. She hit the hard, cold ground with the corpse directly on top of her.

She didn't move. She couldn't, as she was paralyzed by the fact that at thirteen she had killed a fully-grown man. She didn't know if it was seconds or minutes before she realized that Lukiem's weight was cutting off the circulation in her limbs. Kalasin rolled away from him, disgusted in both the body and herself.

Numair and Daine looked on in distress, clinging to each other while Varice's sobs, (which had once again escalated into full hysterics) was the only echo to be heard. Kalasin stood there; looking at her blood-stained hands, and was captured in the moment. She vowed to remember it.

Her thoughts went to the bloody instrument of bereavement in her hands as she had been… 'occupied'…when she first took it. The hilt was a murky black with a grey horse running engraved on it. The blade itself was now a deep red, sharp and thin. The thin light bounce off of it, giving the blade an eerie feeling of something Kalasin couldn't describe.

A tear from her face dropped onto the silver blade. Kalasin watched as the blood ran off of the blade onto the ground. She watched the process many times.

The watery blood pooled on the ground, and by then Kalasin's tears were thick and heavy. She dropped to her knees, and the pain was only a distant calling.

"No," she said softly. "No," she repeated, this time louder. "No! This isn't fair! I shouldn't be doing this!"

She hunched over, hands to her forehead and realized the guilt of killing Lukiem would be with her forever.

Daine finally snapped out of oblivion and rushed to her younger friend. Dropping to her knees as well, Daine watched as Kalasin cried out her sorrow. Daine hated the sound of crying, but she knew that Kalasin would have to eventually come to terms with what she did. Crying worked best at first.

When Kalasin stopped her bawling, Daine gently reached out and put her hand under the princess's chin. She pushed upwards softly, forcing Kalasin to make eye contact.

"It's alright," she soothed. "You had to do it."

"No I didn't!" Kalasin shouted, emotions running wildly. "There must have been another way!"

"There wasn't," Daine said, trying hard to keep the tears out of her own eyes. "Think about it. We all die, that's the way the universe was fashioned. We are born, we live and we die. It's the cycle of life, and nothing will stop it. You will die one day, as will I." Throwing caution to the winds and allowing herself to cry, Daine went on, "Lukiem would eventually died. You just..."

Daine couldn't find a way to comfort her friend. Killing was wrong, and nothing could ever stop that.

"Look, Kalasin," Daine paused, collecting her thoughts, "Just take things one step at a time. First of all, stop crying."

Kalasin complied, and over Daine's shoulder she saw Numair comforting Varice, who had collapsed over Unikum's body.

"Kally, everything will sort itself out…oh my." Daine had finally noticed the unconscious Kaddar. "This isn't good," she added, picking up on the large, bleeding gash in his thigh.

"Numair," she yelled to him, "We have to get Kaddar to medics, or else he'll bleed to death."

Patting Varice once again on her back, Numair realized Daine's implications. If Kaddar died, there would be no one to take the throne, and a civil war would take place. _Is this what it all comes down to?_ Numair thought. _Getting Kaddar to medics? _

"Daine, stay with Kalasin and I'll take Kaddar up to the palace. I'm sure once they see Kaddar you'll have more help down here."

Daine nodded, and then glanced at Lukiem. "But what if the majority of people here were on his side?"

Numair shook his head. "We can't think like that. We have to try, even if it's like walking in a field of snakes."

Daine returned her attention back to the trembling princess, and Numair walked quickly to Kaddar. The Emperor was indeed out cold, and Numair felt the full weight of Kaddar when Numair picked him up like a groom did taking a new wife over a threshold. Numair was forced to put his right elbow under the neck to prevent Kaddar's head from hanging.

"I'll be back soon," he whispered, more to himself than to anyone else. He had desperately hoped that Daine was wrong, and Lukiem had few followers.

If Daine was right, then Numair was a very dead man.

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Varice Kingsford had always liked tall men.

But now, she realized, looks weren't everything. Unikum's long, gangly nose had actually attracted her, as did his hay-like hair. He certainly wasn't what one considered 'tall', (he was only two inches taller than Varice), and his few freckles hadn't given him a perfect complexion. _His looks weren't perfect, _her thought interjected. _But he was._

She had known him…how long? A few hours, at most? But those hours, as frantic and hectic as they were, were the best hours of her life. Finally, for the first time in her life, Varice Kingsford had fallen in love. But by the time she had figured it out, it was torn from her.

She had cried, of course, but each tear resembled unspoken words between the two. Crying barely reflected the thoughts she had. Wounds that were never able to heal silently buried themselves into her heart.

Numair had tried to comfort her, but it was a futile attempt. She remembered Numair, just a casual fling compared to Unikum. Misery, sadness, anguish, suffering, torment, despair and grief filled up her soul.

Unikum's body mirrored Lukiem's: grey, dull and lifeless. Varice herself wanted to die at that moment, just to be with him.

She assumed that Numair had gone to get help when he left her side, and she was left alone with Unikum. Not wanting to see the body anymore, she bravely stood up; tears were still dripping down her face, makeup smudged everywhere.

She vaguely noticed the princess and Daine. Making her way over to them, she psyched herself into talking.

"Is this a dream?"

"I wish," was Kalasin's reply, although Daine's was much longer.

"Isn't life but a dream?" At Varice's confused looked, Daine continued, "Reality is just how we perceive it. For example, if a man is convinced he'll die tomorrow he's probably going to make it happen."

Varice wiped her tears away with her hand. "You didn't answer my question."

"I don't know," Daine said simply, stating the truth.

Varice sat beside the two other females, and together, with Varice and Kalasin occasionally crying, the three waited for Numair to return. It was unnerving, with two bodies surrounding them, but they managed to get through it when hurried footsteps were heard coming down the trapdoor.

Numair burst through first, looking exhausted. He was shortly followed by five guards. The guards were clad finely in full mail and dashing swords belted to their hips.

The guards' looks were first of surprise, the shock and disgust as they took in the situation: Three females in front of them, two crying silently, the other looking as if she wanted to. A body lay directly left of the guards' feet, and another behind the girls. However, they were trained for this and began to go to work. Two went to Unikum's body, two other's to Lukiem. The last, obviously the captain, stayed where he was as the four guards carefully maneuvered themselves back up to the palace.

Numair, the most mentally stable, knew what the captain was about to say. He was right, when the captain simply asked, "Explain."

Numair sighed, pulled down on his shirt and told the captain everything he needed to know.

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Kaddar's eyes fluttered open. When he decided that the light was too much for him to handle, he shut his eyes again. Unfortunately, the swift movement had been caught by sharp eyes. He heard diluted exclamations of "He's awake!" and "Or is he dead?" He was suddenly prodded in various places on his body. Whenever he grunted, the poking continued.

He opened his eyes again, this time showing the faces of about five doctors. The shock of seeing them made Kaddar yell and try to push them away. He failed miserably as the effort simply exhausted him more. He felt clammy hands force open an eye wider. "Nobility!" the doctor said with relief in his voice. "Can you see us?"

Kaddar whacked the hand away. "I can see you fine!" The doctors, seeing that there patient was alive, crowded forward. Claustrophobia started setting in. "Move away!" Kaddar shouted.

The physicians obliged. Finally, he could make some sort of sense of the current situation. He was in his bed, as he could hear the soft roaring of the bathtub nearby. The silk sheets rustled as he sat up, although his body twanged in numerous places. He grimaced. Then he grimaced again, realizing his mistake at grimacing in the first place.

The doctors ran forwards to him at once, like a steak being thrown to street dogs.

"I wouldn't recommend that, Nobility," one said. The doctor, the only female, helped Kaddar lie back down. "Not for another few days."

Kaddar only managed a "What?"

"You received quite the beating from…Master Lukiem," the doctor concluded, unsure of how to address the traitor. "Although you were only stabbed in the thigh, you knocked your back around remarkably well. You're lucky you can still walk."

Kaddar nodded, his memory coming back to him. He remembered pain…a knife...no, it was a dagger…Lukiem…Daine…Kalasin…Kalasin!

"Kalasin!" he shouted.

"She's fine," an elderly physician said. "Where is she, again?" He directed the question at a younger man.

"The Tortallan mentioned riding, but that's it," the man said. "But that doesn't matter. What does is your getting better, Nobility."

Kaddar rolled his eyes. Much work would need to be done to undo his uncle's ways of things. Noticing the doctors moving towards him again, Kaddar glared at them. "What did I say about moving away?"

They sheepishly took steps back, and well out of reach from them, he sat up. Keeping his face blank, he maneuvered himself into a cross-legged position.

"Am I well enough to walk?"

The doctors exchanged glances. He was, although they didn't want him to know that. but if they lied, who knew what would happen…

The female stepped up. "Yes, you're well enough to walk. But that's _all_, Nobility. Any more and you risk exhaustion."

Kaddar grinned, sending shivers down their spines.

"Try me."

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The roan horse whinnied as she saw her master approaching. Noticing the slight limp, the roan realized she would have to go easy on him today.

Kaddar, the master of the roan, placed a hand on the horse and looked at the surroundings. The stable was ironically the same one where the trap door was.

He had been told, before he left, what had happened. The doctors said that the ball, even though lacking the princess, was continued without interruption. It was constant like that until Numair, holding the Emperor, arrived, causing panic.

Since no one was there to give orders, (Kaddar had yet to appoint a second-in-command) chaos reigned with a strong hand. It was only Numair who brought sense to the situation.

Numair handed Kaddar over to the guards, and ordered anyone who was attending the ball back to their quarters. When the non-essential people had left, Numair told the guards of the situation. One squadron apparently ran with Numair to the trapdoor, and the rest went to tell the guests what had transpired.

The doctors stopped at that point for lack of information. Apparently only the five guards knew what _really_ happened.

Returning to the present time, Kaddar had asked around where Kalasin had gone. No one knew, until he approached a stable boy.

"Excuse me," he started, but got no further.

"Nobility!" the stable boy exclaimed. "I swear I don't know how I was found naked in the hay! There was just some girly who attacked me out of no where! A very pretty girl I may add, but that's not the point."

Kaddar smiled, realizing this was the boy Daine had knocked out when she needed clothes.

"Did I mention anything about clothes?" Kaddar asked.

The poor boy's eyes snapped open, realizing he had interrupted the Emperor. The _Emperor_. He was going to pay for this one.

"Anyways," Kaddar went on, "has anyone taken horses out today?"

The boy, or more like a teenager, nodded, head down. "Yes, Nobility. There were three. There was a tall man with hair like a Tortallan, a female who always had her back to me, and another girl. But this one was special. She was the_ princess_."

Kaddar prompted the boy, who was named Rayan, with his hands, telling him to continue.

"Midnight hair, she had, and voice that sang like angles. But refused to let me saddle her horse. She did it for herself, and did it might fine as well. Sure are lucky, Nobility, to get a girl like her."

Kaddar raised his eyebrow at Rayan, who blushed. "Sorry, Nobility," he said.

"Let's make a deal," Kaddar said. "I won't tell anyone about the clothes thing if you stop calling me Nobility and tell me where the three went."

Rayan opened his mouth to say that Kaddar didn't know anything about the clothes ordeal, but stopped and agreed to the deal.

"They were talking about going directly North, your Highness. Princess said she wanted to look across the Inland Sea, and you must know how pretty it is up there."

Rayan was right. The starting of the river Zekoi was the most scenic of all Carthak, with rolling hills stretching for a length of a mile, then suddenly stopping at the Inland Sea. It was a long ride, but worth it in the end.

"I'm following them, and tell no one that. I had enough trouble getting out of those damned doctor's hands."

Rayan nodded, excitement swirling in his stomach. It was almost like a conspiracy he was participating in.

Kaddar faced his roan, Moonsun. He quickly brushed the horse's back and girth, removing dirt. Speedily, he threw on the blanket protecting the horse, making sure it was even in both sides, while Rayan looked on in awe of his efficiency. Making sure the stirrups weren't in the way; Kaddar grabbed the saddle sitting on the post nearby. He lifted it clear of the post, and he positioned it on Moonsun with practiced ease. He smoothed the wrinkles out, and did up the girth buckles. After settling the saddle, he deemed Moonsun ready.

"So where am I?" he asked Rayan.

"You are currently traveling southbound near the river Zekoi. You plan to return within the day."

Kaddar smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Good," he commented. When Rayan opened the gate Moonsun trotted out.

Cautiously avoiding numerous items like barrels and sacks of flour, Kaddar made his way over to the east wall. It was ordered that way: all stables to be positioned on the outside edges of the castle.

He was halted at the fifteen-foot-high, three-feet-thick wall. There were two guards on duty. "Name?" one asked lazily, not even looking at the Emperor.

"Kaddar."

The guard looked up. Nothing happened, until recognition clicked. "Nobility!"

No more questions were asked, and the guard signaled to another by the actual gate. With creaks and groans the gate swung open, revealing three more guards on the outside, and a landscape that could fetch an artist more money than he needed.

When the guards stepped aside, Moonsun whipped back her main, restless. He was free to go in search of Kalasin, Daine, and Numair.

"Ride!" he told the roan. The mare did as such, obeying her master's orders.

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The view was beautiful, although the word didn't even begin to describe it. To Kalasin's back, the hills were like waves that had frozen. It looked like a classic scene out of a book. To her front, however, was where her heart longed to be. The Inland Sea stretched across the vast plane, daring Kalasin to simply discard the chains of royalty and fly back to her homeland. On the horizon, fishing ships were proudly doing their duty, but Kalasin couldn't tell whether they were Carthak or Tortallan.

The sunrise was enough to wake anyone. The yellows and oranges were as ripe as the April fruit in Corus.

Kalasin's horse whinnied, and the girl rubbed her mount. Daine and Numair, both mounted as well, were on either side. When Kalasin had asked the two to ride with her, they didn't ask. In fact, they were surprised that they had been asked at all, but the girl needed protection from foes of an unknown kind. The trio hadn't bothered leaving a message. If they had, Carthaki soldiers wouldn't have 'escorted' them back to the palace.

It hadn't been hard to come out here. They simply retrieved their horses, and Kalasin's name got the three through the gate. Kalasin needed time to think over everything, and the place she had first thought of was here, the closest she could be to her past. It beckoned to her.

Kalasin rubbed her eyes. She evidently had not gotten any sleep, and it was getting to her. But sleeping now would be like a crime.

Time stopped. The scene froze. Hours, minutes, or days went by without Kalasin, Daine or Numair's concern. The majestic scene unfolded even more so before them.

Finally, a fly buzzed by Numair's ear. He snapped up straight, the spell of the scenery broken. "We should go," he whispered. "Kaddar'll be worried."

Kalasin shook her head. "I don't care."

Daine looked at the girl. "Kally…"

Kalasin maneuvered her horse ninety degrees to directly face the Wild Mage, and was glad she was on horseback so that she could meet the grey-blue eyes of her friend.

"No. I've done so much for everybody already, sacrificing myself. Carthak won't implode right now. It can wait for later."

They were still speaking in dull tones, while the melodious sounds of the Inland Sea washed over them.

"It's hard, being royalty, Kalasin. That's why we respect you," commented Numair.

At first Numair was afraid he had offended the girl, but she turned to him. Tears were gathering in her eyes.

"Life isn't fair."

"I know. But if it was fair to you, Kally, it wouldn't be fair to everyone else."

The Empress-to-be wiped her eyes on the rough sleeve of the tunic. "But…" the sentence went unfinished.

The two mages glanced at each other and nodded, knowing what they were both implying.

"We're going to go back to the palace, Kally. You can stay here for a while, if you need the time."

Kalasin nodded, not really hearing the words. Daine and Numair took that as an affirmative however, and turned towards the ride to the palace.

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The sky overhead was turning a darker blue, Kaddar noted. It was almost noon. His stomach growled as he realized he hadn't eaten in almost a day.

Moonsun's hooves trotted along think, lush grass on the hills across the Inland Sea. This area of Carthak was the most…Tortallan-like.

The long ride made his back sore, and he repositioned himself in the saddle. If he couldn't find her, or if they had crossed paths earlier, or if she had traveled along the coast… _No, _Kaddar told himself. _Don't double-guess yourself. _

The rolling hills, green with the passing rain, became wider, and Kaddar knew that he would approach the coastline soon. He momentarily went into the trough of the hill, but when he leveled back up, instead of the hills for another quarter mile the sight was broken by a lone horseback figure. Even if Kaddar couldn't make out the figure's details, he knew, as if by instinct, that it was Kalasin.

He paused for a moment, almost allowing himself to smile. But no, it was stopped midway when the figure doubled-over on the horse. Frowning, Kaddar gathered his reigns and burst Moonsun into a run. He never let his eyes stray off of Kalasin. Even the hills couldn't block the view of her. Scientists would have said that if an object is in the way of another, the closest object would have been seen. But love has an uncontrollable knack for doing the impossible.

When Kaddar closed in on the girl, or better described as a young woman, he could see she was crying. She didn't hear him pull up beside her.

Kaddar hadn't seen the Inland Sea in a long time, for the Imperial Palace had to be totally reconstructed and other matters to attend to. But now, he knew why Kalasin had such a hard time parting with it. The sight was indescribable.

Kalasin, sensing someone, looked up at him.

For one of the many times of the day, she brushed away her tears. "I'm sorry…I shouldn't cry...it's just…"

Kaddar positioned Moonsun only inches away from Kalasin. He looked at her with a mix of pity and sorrow in his eyes.

"Cry…No one said you can't."

Their eyes met, and for a brief second Kaddar didn't see a crying adolescent…he saw a strong, brave woman being held back by her own fears.

Kalasin, tired of her charade, collapsed onto Kaddar's shoulders. "I'm trying to be brave…but sometimes bravery isn't enough. I need more…crying is a damned bad substitute."

Kaddar would have laughed, but the situation didn't call for it.

"I'm scared. A lot more than I should be. I mean, here I am, in a position people would die for. And I'm scared. I'm scared of my life. This…guilt…is incredible. Is…that right?"

Kaddar brushed her hair with his fingers, soothing the tangles.

"Kalasin, most people, needless to say royalty, don't kill people. They don't have the guilt you do, and they never will. I know it must be incomprehensible to me, but believe me…I know how you feel, in a twisted way. I can see your pain just by looking at you."

Kalasin coughed. "I know, but it's just…damnit. I can't begin to say how I feel."

"Is it like your guts have been ravaged and picked at by passing mercenaries, yet you're still alive to feel the pain, and they left you to live out your life that way?"

Kalasin gave a watery laugh. "Exactly."

Kaddar sighed. He knew he would have to bring this up eventually and knew that procrastinating wouldn't help.

"You don't have to go through with this, the marriage, I mean. No one will blame you. You've gone through more in a month than most people do in years. You've been kidnapped, drugged and almost killed."

"No," she said. "I'll be fine. Give me a few days, please."

Kaddar nodded, and continued playing with his wife-to-be's hair while watching the trading ships on the horizon. It was strange, how about twelve miles away people who had lives opposite to Kaddar's had no idea he was watching them. It was curiously enlightening.

When he felt Kalasin's body go a shocking limp in his arms, he panicked for a moment. The emotion quickly resided when he realized she had just fallen asleep.

Not knowing what to do, he transferred all of Kalasin's body to his lap, carefully not disturbing her. Distorting his body momentarily, he tied Kalasin's horse to his own. He sighed again (he had been doing that too much lately, he knew) and slowly made his way back to Carthak, back to his future.

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When Kalasin awoke, she had no idea where she was. She did know that the bed was marvelously comfy though. She groggily opened her eyes, and then closed them at the alarming amount of light streaming through them.

Instead of the silence Kalasin wished of, however, a knock at the door brought her attention back to reality. _Where am I? _She thought.

She forced herself upwards, and opened her eyes. At first she thought of shoving the covers over her head and pretending not to hear the knock, but decided against it. She was in the gigantic room that could house an army, back in the Carthaki palace. The splashing sounds from the nearby bath/waterfall only confirmed that hypothesis.

"What?" she managed to call.

The door opened, and in walked a slave. Kalasin thought she knew that face somewhere… it was _the _slave! The one who had first shown her around the palace! But the thing that surprised Kalasin the most was that she was clothed…fully.

The slave articulated the words carefully, obviously trying hard not to stutter.

"His Nobility sends his regards, and wishes you to come to the docks, as fast as you can. His Nobility says that your friends are leaving soon."

It was too much information all at once, and it took a few moments for it to sink it, until she realized that Daine and Numair must have been leaving. She swore, and swung her feet down to the ground. She was still in the rough tunic and skirt Lukiem had given her.

She quickly made her way over to her bags, but found no clothes, to her dismay.

"Your..c..clothes are in the closest, Nobility. And the seamstresses have been working nearly days and night to add to your wardrobe."

"They didn't have to do that…" Kalasin muttered. She opened the closet, and saw what the slave meant. There were fine garments in the walk-in closest everywhere. There was still a lot of space for new clothes (obviously they weren't done yet) but overall the effect was incredible. She had only seen her mother having these many clothes.

She noted that the simplest garment were on her left, the most fancy to her right.

"His Nobility recommends commoner clothing, to blend in, Nobility."

Kalasin nodded, seeing where Kaddar was coming from. To blend in…that would be better.

She went to her immediate left, and found a simple woolen skirt, white cotton shirt with lace- up at the neck and an orange-yellow vest overtop. She quickly stripped and put it on, not wanting to waste time. While doing so, she remembered the events of the past days. Her stomach dropped.

Trying her best to ignore the feeling, she pulled on think leather boots. "The docks, you say?" she asked the slave. She nodded.

Without saying anything else, Kalasin quietly exited the room.

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The docks were roaring with trade, yells, smells and sights to see. Kalasin almost felt normal again.

The slave hadn't told her _where _in the docks to go, so Kalasin was momentarily lost. Everything was happening in a bustle, no one bothering to see their future ruler standing their before them.

An idea hit Kalasin. She had to look for a Tortallan ship. They stood out tremendously, as Tortall built their ships for stability, Carthak for speed.

The crowds thinned out the further Kalasin went to her east, until finally there was only one ship docked, with its gangplank already out. There was only a few people milling about, obviously sailors. She was delighted at their Tortallan accent.

She continued walking, until, "Kally!"

She felt as if her lungs were being compressed together from the hug she received. Not knowing what was going on, she only knew that it was Daine hugging her by the wild curls poking in her eyes.

"Daine?"

"I'm so sorry, Kally! Numair and I have to go!"

Once again, too much information of Kalasin. "What? What's going on? I just got out of bed!"

"I'm sorry," the mage repeated. "But, we just learned that the only Tortallan ship going out of here is leaving today, and another isn't coming for a month. And we can't ask your parents to send a ship for Numair and me. But, I'm sorry Kally, Numair and are going back to Tortall."

Kalasin numbed. She had forgotten that Daine and Numair wouldn't be around her forever.

"But we'll come back, don't worry."

Tears started welling in Kalasin's eyes, the guilt she had suppressed coming back to her. But, at that moment, Kalasin let loose the strong, brave woman in herself. Casting away her fears, she simply replied, "I know. I'm ready for the future, ready for a new life."

Kaddar and Numair, who had been chatting about a recent discovery of new fauna in a kingdom Kalasin had never heard of, trotted over.

"Is everything alright?" Kaddar asked. Kalasin nodded, and when she looked up at Kaddar she felt a…twang. Or more of a shock. It wasn't guilt, anxiety or anything like that, but a different feeling. One she hadn't felt in a long time, and only later did she learn that it was love.

Kalasin drifted towards Kaddar's side, and clung to him when someone called, "All ye coming better get onboard now!" from the ship. The ship itself, _The Pretty_ _Lass_, wasn't in the best condition, and the captain looked no better.

Daine and Numair smiled at Kalasin.

"Everything will be all right, Kally. Just do me a favor, and have the time of your life."

Kalasin smiled. "I'll do my best."

The next moments passed in a blur for Kalasin, and they only sharpened when the two crossed the gangplank. Nearby workers and laborers went on in their lives, not noticing the tender moment for the four.

When the anchors were raised and the captain gave a shout the ship slowly started making its way out of the harbor. In only a few minutes, Kalasin could barely make out the faces of Daine and Numair, who were leaning over the back railing. She waved, and they back. Finally, when they were no longer distinguishable from the ship, Kalasin turned her back to the sea and the country she once knew. Instead, she faced the person she loved and a new life, one that she was sure abundant with new adventures, challenges and beginnings.

She smiled. Not a fake smile, but a real, happy smile. It felt good. She no longer had to worry about her future. Her future was here, her future was now. With time, the guilt of killing Lukiem would subside. It would never go away, but Kalasin knew she would learn to live with that.

Her smile grew into a grin.

She wanted to be doing this.

She had to.

For her country.

For her people.

_And _for herself.

**The End**

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A/N- Everyone's forgotten about Junika, haven't you? I haven't. **–evil smile-**

It's done! Finished! I'm sad now… so, the final A/N. Incredible thanks to my reviewers, who have stuck with me through bad chapters, horrible plot twists ( that had to be redone) and no updates. You're all better than most of the people I know.

Also, just a random fact, I lost characters throughout the story. At one point, Kaddar just disappeared, and that's why Daine found him in the stables.

I'm not sure about a sequel, only if you, the reviewers, want it. It can easily be continued. Just send me your plot bunnies, and I'll probably do them. If I don't ever update fast enough, please, send me a PM. Half of the time I forget about a chapter I've already written and not posted it, so PM me if I don't update within about a week or two.

If I write a sequel, the words, 'Sequel to LCCTS' (Leopards Can't Change Their Spots) will be in it.

Well, I'm done for now. Thanks again to my reviewers, who are more like friends. Please, if a sequel interests you, tell me. I won't take long to post it!

So that's it for me. Please review (I'll respond to every one), and you get cookies if you do. And these are awesome cookies, believe me.

Hopefully, I'll see you all later,

Phoenix


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